A New Beginning
by AnimeMaster24
Summary: Four years have passed since the defeat of the Brotherhood of Evil, and the Titans have split up. Raven feels alone and remains unsure of her reason for living, but is given an offer to join the Justice League Unlimited. Crossover with JLU
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: A New Life 

Raven, sat by the fireplace, gazing into the darkness of her soul. Surfacing from the depths of her mind, she knew that meditation would not bring her the answers that she sought. The young sorceress stared around her new lodgings, eying the ornate furniture and intricate rugs of her new room. While the chamber was far more luxurious than her room at Titan's Tower, it still didn't feel like home.

She was never the kind of person to find attachment in other people, but she had developed a bond with her former teammates, and although she would rarely admit it, she had developed a certain love and sense of companionship during her days as a Teen Titan. Despite the friendship that the five young heroes shared, they had all gone their separate ways. Sure they all had their flaws, but she missed having them around. She even missed Starfire's rambling, and Beast Boy's jokes. Lost in her memories, she indulged in a rare smile.

It had been four years since the defeat of the Brotherhood of Evil. After the major threat to the young heroes had been dealt with, they found themselves defeating the same weak villains over and over again. Even Slade had mysteriously vanished. Seeing that the once crime-infested city no longer needed their help, the Titans had slowly begun to drift apart. After all, subduing the incompetent Dr. Light and a small group of bank robbers was something that ordinary law enforcement could handle.

Walking over to the shelf in the corner of her room, Raven began to flip through a book of spells that she had not yet mastered. Her eyes began to scan the book's pages, but she found herself unable to concentrate on the complex incantations. Her thoughts began to return to her friends.

She wasn't too worried about them… after all, she had seen them in combat enough times to know that they could take care of themselves. Starfire had gone back to Tamaran to take her place on the throne, and no one had seen her since. Regardless of this, Raven had regular contact with Beast Boy and Cyborg. The green changeling had rejoined the Doom Patrol, and Cyborg had stayed at the tower to keep guard over the city's minor crime.

However, the most secretive of the group had not been seen in a while. After dropping the name Robin and adopting the alias, Nightwing, Dick Grayson had left to find his own way in the world. Being the last of her teammates, his departure left her feeling all alone.

Despite had come here to search for answers she had found none. But her stay here had not been a complete waste of time. After the splitting up of the Teen Titans, she found herself questioning her reason for living like she had before. Encountering other heroes on her journey to find herself, she learned of a place where she could receive help. Her search led her here, to the home of Doctor Fate. Even knowing her to be the daughter of Trigon, he had welcomed her into his home, offering her shelter in her time of need.

Sitting back in her large armchair, she began studying the ancient text. Since her arrival in his home, she had become Dr. Fate's student, learning many branches of sorcery outside of her own chaos magic. Touching her fingers to her forehead, she realized how tired she was. Sighing in boredom, she placed her books on the table. Rising to her feet, the young sorceress left the room, and headed toward the library.

As she walked down the hallway, her eyes wandered freely, catching glimpses of the many items that were present. From old bottles, to collected antiques, it was apparent that the doctor had an interest in ancient magic. Opening the door, she was not surprised to find a few of Doctor Fate's other guests already present. Aquaman sat at the large table in the middle of the room, playing chess with a large golden android that she recognized as Amazo. Having previously spoken to the android, Raven knew that he too wished to know the meaning of his existence. Despite his great power, the young sorceress could feel the android's emotional pain.

Her eyes finally reached the far corner of the room where a third visitor sat on the largest armchair. Although his face was obscured by a newspaper, the man seemed vaguely familiar. With a polite wave, she walked past Aquaman and the android.

With a flash of light, Raven caught sight of the symbol of the Egyptian Ankh, as Doctor Fate materialized by her side. "There's someone here to see you." He stated, gesturing to them guy in the corner of the room.

"I hate to be rude, but… do I know you?" Raven asked with uncertainty. Watching the stranger's movements, he cast the periodical aside as he got to his feet. She recognized his red hair and Robin-like mask. Upon catching sight of his bow, she knew that it had to be him. Despite the fact that he was taller and more muscular, there was no mistaking it.

"Hey… its been awhile." The man said, dusting off his shirt. "Is that how you greet an old teammate?"

"Speedy… its good to see you." She said in her monotonous voice, a shadow of a smile appearing on her face. "Don't get me wrong… but why are you here?" she asked with uncertainty in her voice.

Her old teammate gave her a small shrug. "Just business…"

"What do you mean?" she inquired, a feeling of curiosity beginning to surface through her veil of indifference.

"Just come with me." He replied, gesturing for her to follow him. Although she looked uneasy, the young sorceress followed him. Reaching the center of the field outside of Doctor Fate's Tower, he stopped.

"What now." Raven asked in a slightly sarcastic tone.

Being a former member of the Titans East, he didn't know her as well as the others had, but he had expected her to respond like this. Speedy gave a reassuring nod to his former teammate. Placing his hand to his ear, he activated his COM link. "Jonn, beam us up." He said into the communicator.

The world spun before her eyes, and before she knew it, they had reappeared in a completely different location. Looking around, Raven observed the futuristic surroundings. She was standing on some sort of transportation device, in a large room. Looking toward the window… her eyes caught sight of the numerous stars that decorated the vast dark void of space. With another flash of light, Doctor Fate appeared by her side.

"Where are we?" She asked, a curious tone in her voice. Speedy only smiled as Doctor Fate gestured towards the ground. Staring down, Raven caught sight of the many super heroes present in this establishment.

The metal doors at the entrance to the room swung upon, as six heroes entered the room. Superman stood at the head of the group, followed by Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, and the Shayera Hol. Despite her mental training, even Raven was surprised at the sight of these legendary heroes.

Superman was the first to greet her. "Welcome to the Watchtower." He said, extending a hand in welcome. The young sorceress shook his hand, realizing how powerful his grip was.

Nodding in acknowledgment, Doctor Fate stood in front of his new student. "We are about to give you an excellent opportunity." He said to her. "I recently submitted a resume of sorts to the people here, and they have chosen to extend this offer."

"We welcome you to join the Justice League." Superman said, looking down at Raven with a small smile on his face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Many Meetings**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Teen Titans or any of its characters or logos.

Barely twenty years old, Raven now stood before the world's greatest heroes. Lowering her head in thought she began to consider the possibility. After a few moments, she spared a glance at her teacher, Doctor Fate.

He put his hand to her chin, lifting her head to meet his. "It's all right… you can have some time to make your decision if you need it. Believe me… you're not the first person to have conflicted feelings about joining the League." He assured her. Turning back to the founding members of the Justice League, he decided to speak on her behalf. "I sense much doubt within her."

The young sorceress had uncharacteristically lost her nerve after hearing this offer. Through her entire life, Raven had rarely felt so torn between two possible decisions. Both of which could change her life for the better, or worse.

Considering the raw facts, she was no stranger to working in a team. After all, she had been one of the founding members of the Teen Titans. Her experiences had taught her many things, and she would always use these lessons to guide her in life. Joining the Titans years ago had been a big step, and for the first time in her life, she knew what it was like to belong to a group.

She was used to working with other heroes, but back then, she always had her friends by her side. Now… she felt very much alone in life. Doctor Fate and his wife had been kind enough to offer her shelter and food, but there were still times that she missed the old days in Jump City. Although she never told them, she enjoyed nearly every aspect of her friends, whether it be Starfire's confusion about Earth's customs, Robin's stubborn nature, Beast Boy's corny jokes, or Cyborg's obsession with videogames.

Despite the similarities with her current situation, the feeling was completely different. Joining the Justice League Unlimited would be another major step in her life, and she would have an entirely new group of people to meet. The organization had become far more extensive than the Titans had been four years ago, and in the last year or two the Justice League had inducted almost every hero in the world as either a member or reserve agent or contact.

Staring toward the floor, the young sorceress had never been so conflicted. Even when her father, Trigon, had turned her into his gateway to Earth, she knew what she had to do. Raven had a lot of questions to ask herself. Could she make it in such a vast organization? And even if she could, did her joining the Justice League mean that the Titans were truly over?

These thoughts raced through her head as she considered the offer. The stress would have been worse if she hadn't spent her entire life training to control her mentally oriented powers. A kind voice caught her attention as it penetrated her thoughts.

"If you can't decide yet, its fine." Wonder Woman reassured her, stepping forward to stand aside Superman. "Yeah, no sweat." The Flash added, zooming forward with unreal speed.

"There's no pressure." Superman replied. "How about we show you around the facilities. Perhaps that will help you decide."

Raven considered the idea for a moment before nodding in agreement. "I accept you offer."

"Cool… I'll show ya all of the perks." The Flash said, a wide grin planted on his face. "Hey, Doc Fate, you wanna come with." The speedster questioned.

"No thank you… I was working on something at home and only came to escort Raven." Fate replied. Turning to Raven, he grasped her shoulder briefly. "Even if you refuse, my door will still be open to you." With a flash of light, he disappeared.

Looking back toward the others, Raven found that they most of the other heroes had dispersed, leaving her with the Flash and Speedy.

Speedy gave the young sorceress a shadow of a smile as she glanced back at him. Turning back toward the transporter, he gave her a friendly wave as the machine sent him back to the Earth.

"So… you coming?" The Flash asked, grinning at the blue-clad girl.

Raven nodded and followed after her guide, quickening her pace to catch up. Even when he wasn't using his superpowers, the red-clad hero was still unusually light on his feet. As she roamed the corridors, the young sorceress was astonished at the amount of heroes and personnel that worked for the Justice League. It was amazing that so many people had dedicated their lives to making the world a better place.

As these thoughts moved through her head, she couldn't help but indulge in another one of her rare smiles. She let out a small laugh at the thought of what Beast Boy would say if he were there.

The Flash smirked as they reached a large stairwell, dashing up the steps in a blur of red. Looking up at the red-clad hero, she concentrated for a moment. Lifting herself into the air, the young sorceress levitated over the flights of stairs, and landed by his side.

"Not bad." He said, giving her another smile.

Proceeding down the corridor, the large metal doors swung open to admit them, revealing a large circular room. The large window on the other side overlooked the hanger that she had first appeared in, and the walls were covered with monitors and computers. System personnel manned the stations, transferring data and communications. She was never an expert with technology, but even she was impressed by the League's equipment. Even the computers in Titan's Tower weren't this advanced. Looking across the room, she saw two prominent figures. Sitting near the main monitor was a man with a T mark on his costume, and standing next to the main system was a green alien, overseeing the operations and giving orders.

Dashing forward, the Flash brought the Martian over to meet her.

Raven had met aliens before, but none as famous as this one.

"Greetings. You must be a new member. My name is J'onn J'onzz, but for professional purposes you may address me as Martian Manhunter." The alien said to her. Raven nodded in acknowledgment. "I don't believe that I caught your name." He said.

"My name is Raven. Its an honor to meet you." The young sorceress replied. Her response earned her a quick nod from the Martian, who immediately began to observe her. "You must be Raven… I received word from the main floor that you were coming." Returning to the monitors, he continued supervising the League activities. With uncanny speed, The Flash swept forward, catching the Martian's attention. "I'm showing the new girl around… maybe you could explain to her how we handle things here."

"Very well then. This is the control room. It is here that we manage every mission that is given to the league. We assemble teams, monitor progress, and transport members of the Justice League to wherever they may be needed." The alien said to the young sorceress. "When the transporter cannot be used, we send our forces in via Javelin Space Cruisers." He added. "It is preferred that our no one question orders. Also, the mission must be placed before any personal feelings that one may have about performing the task given, because it is all for the greater good."

Raven nodded. "It seems pretty straightforward."

"Indeed." Replied the Martian. "It is also imperative that every member of the Justice League be willing to make sacrifices to complete their mission, even if it be the ultimate sacrifice. We also promote team values. All members must do their best to treat their teammates with respect, and they should avoid actions that could jeopardize the mission, or the lives of their teammates." He finished.

"That is basically how we handle each situation. Now… If you'll excuse me, I must return to my work." The Martian replied as he returned to the monitor.

Raven looked uneasy for a moment, going over the Justice League' policies in her head. While remarkable similar to the Titan's code, she had never heard it expressed so formally. The Flash's voice pulled her focus back to the current situation.

"Don't worry, its nothing to worry about." The red-clad speedster reassured her. Springing into a quick salute, he began to walk in the other direction, gesturing to Raven to follow him. Rounding a few more corridors, the world's fastest man had led her to another room. Entering, she felt a warm, inviting atmosphere.

This new room appeared to be a sort of lounge or cafeteria, where the heroes ate and relaxed. Leaping forward, the Flash pulled out a chair at one of the tables and motioned for the young spell caster to sit down.

Taking a seat next to him, she glanced at the table's other occupants. Her eyes widened in shock at the sight of one of the other people at the table. Taken aback, Raven almost fell out of her chair, but was pulled into a bone-crushing hug by an old friend.

"Oh Raven… I am so pleased that we are here in the same location once again." Starfire squealed, as she released her stunned friend. "Good… to… see… you… to… Starfire…" Raven forced out through choked gasps as she pushed herself free of the alien's super strength.

This earned a snort of laugh from the Flash. "Heh… well I'll let you two catch up." He said, taking a seat next to Star Girl and Vigilante. "I am sorry for that." Starfire said, looking a little ashamed. "It has been so long that I have forgotten how my strength can affect humans."

"It's all right. I just want to know… what are you doing here. Didn't you go back to Tamaran to retake the throne from your Sister again." Raven asked.

Starfire looked downcast. "And I did… It was a long process this time. The Planet became involved in a Woknorfka." She added, staring at the floor.

Raven raised an eyebrow in confusion, but was nevertheless used to Starfire's use of Tamaranian vocabulary. Noticing this, the alien girl tried to remedy the error. "My apologies. Perhaps the people on Earth would call it a War. We… lost many people, but in the end we drove my sister from the throne. It was after this, that I helped my people rebuild that which was broken, and it is for that reason why I was gone from Earth for such an extended period."

"I want to know one more thing…" Raven said to her old friend.

"And what would that be?" she asked.

"Why are you here." The young sorceress finally asked.

Starfire looked downcast again. "Well… I returned to the Earth, seeking my friends. I first journeyed to the Titan's Tower, but Cyborg was the only one of us present. He told me that Beast Boy had rejoined the Doom Patrol, and you had found home with the Doctor Fate. I also asked of Robin's whereabouts, but since his change to Nightwing, no one has seen him in one place for very long." She finished, the beginnings of tears present in her eyes.

Raven said nothing in reply to her last statement. Just looking at Starfire was enough to tell that she had probably spent a lot of time searching for Nightwing.

"I am sorry, Raven for acting so weak." The Tamaranian said, staring at the ground.

To the young alien's surprise, the blue-clad spell cast placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it… Dick Grayson is a stubborn man. He can take care of himself until the day that we see him again." Raven assured her.

"Thank you, my friend." Starfire said, wiping away her silent tears.

"I just want to know one more thing." Raven questioned. "What are you doing with the Justice League."

Starfire suddenly looked jubilant. "I was found by the Justice League and it was they that requested of me and Cyborg to join." She said, looking happy. "I forgot to mention that our friend Cyborg is here as well. Both of us joined the League."

"Can we see him?" the young sorceress asked, trying to hide her inner happiness.

Before Starfire could answer, the Flash dashed forward, appearing by her side. "I believe that can be arranged." The red speedster replied, flashing the two of them his trademark smile. Before the two could reply, footsteps echoed from the hallway. The doors swung open, revealing Cyborg.

"Booyah!" he shouted as he walked up to his two friends. "Hey… it's been awhile since the three of us were together."

Raven nodded, leaning forward to shake his hand. Despite her implication, the metallic superhero reached out, pulling the young sorceress into a hug. Surprisingly, her expression began to soften, as she returned it.

Separating from their hug, Cyborg sat down across from the girls, looking relaxed. 'Reminds you of old times? Doesn't it?" he asked, a shadow of a smile on his face. From the silence that followed he new that it probably wasn't the right time to push the issue of Nightwing's disappearance.

"So… Rae… what have you been doing in these last three years?" he asked the blue-clad girl.

She looked uneasy for a moment. "Just… trying to find myself." She said. Despite this being one half of the issue, she had also been lonesome those years that she had spent away from her friends. "And you?" she asked in return.

"Me… I just guarded Jump City for a few years. You have no idea how boring it is living in an empty tower." He said, taking a sandwich from his tray, and swallowing it whole.

Starfire giggled at his eating habits, while Raven simply wore a look of disapproval. The trio remained silent for a few moments before breaking out in hysterical laughter. Despite them being adults, it felt as if she had just seen each other yesterday.

"Hah! Some things never change." Cyborg said, leaning back in his chair. A beeping coming from his watch disturbed the blissful moment. "Whoops… Sorry guys… I have to get going. J'onn needs me in the control room for maintenance." He said, running through the doors, waving his hand in farewell.

After a few moments, the Flash approached Raven. "So… have you made your decision yet?"

Raven gave him a slight nod. "I'll join the Justice League... as a part time member."

The Flash grinned. "Apparently Doc Fate had you right on target. He had a feeling that if you knew you weren't alone, you would agree to join."

Raven nodded. "Maybe this is where I belong… at least for now. Its nice to know that I'll always have a friend here."

"It's good to have your friends by your side." The Flash said. "Take it from me, I'm friends with just about everyone in the League."

Starfire smiled at this statement. "He is absolutely correct."

"Good Luck." The red speedster said, before disappearing in a blur of red.

MESSAGE TO READERS: I enjoyed writing this fan fiction, so please review, I haven't really gotten many so far. Be honest, but keep all profanity to yourself. I want to hear you opinion.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Shadow of Change**

It had been a week since Raven had agreed to join the League, but despite being in a group with her friends again, she hadn't seen much of them. Starfire had a constant stream of missions, while Cyborg spent most of his time helping the Martian and Mister Terrific monitor the Watchtower's computers. It was as if everyone had found his or her place in the League, except her.

Here she was, one of the founding members of the Teen Titans, on guard Duty. Prowling the corridors was far from the greatest thrill she had experienced. She had even gone to J'onn with a request to be placed on real missions, but despite her protests, she was always turned down by the stubborn Martian.

Being a new recruit, Raven was hardly surprised that she hadn't been given any important jobs yet, but guard duty was probably the most boring job that the League had to offer. Because of her lack of real missions, the young sorceress spent most of her free time in meditation. Needless to say, she was beginning to feel lonely again.

Picking up a steel tray, she scooped a few spoonfuls of food onto her plate and glanced around the hall. Spotting an empty table in the back, the blue-clad spell caster glided past the groups of heroes and sat by herself. Glancing at her plate, Raven realized that she had lost her appetite, and ignored the food in favor of meditation.

The tranquil experience was short lived, as a scraping noise broke her concentration. Looking up, the sorceress caught sight of the people who had intruded in on her meditation. Thinking for a moment, no names came to mind, but she vaguely recognized the new arrivals as other members of the Justice League.

The first hero wore a western getup, his hat and pistols further enhancing his resemblance to a cowboy. The second was wearing green clothes and a matching feather hat like a modern day Robin Hood. His blonde beard was neatly trimmed, and a large quiver of arrows sat in place on his back. While she remembered seeing the first two heroes during guard duty, but for all of her mental power, she still couldn't recognize the third man. He wore a detective's hat and jacket, and a flesh colored mask that made him appear faceless.

"I don't mean to be rude, but… I could use some concentration. Could you please move somewhere else?"

"Well… if that ain't a mighty fine howdy do?" Vigilante replied, tipping his cowboy hat. "I don't reckon there's any more room left at them other tables." The western-themed hero replied, spinning his dueling pistols around his index fingers and placing them back into their holders.

Glancing around the room, Raven nodded in response. "All right… just give me some space to concentrate." She said.

"No need to be so rude about it. We're all respectable heroes here." Green Arrow said to the table's occupants as a whole.

"My apologies." She replied courteously, turning away from the group. Without another word, she swept from the room.

"What do ya reckon is her problem." The western clad hero asked the other heroes.

"That… my friend… is the question." The third man replied.

Green Arrow raised an eyebrow, looking slightly irritated. "Oh can you try changing your tune every once and a while. That line of yours is getting old."

"If one does not ask the question, than they shall never know the answer." The Question replied, his mask obstructing his facial expressions. "If you seek to mock me as you have in the past… than by all means continue."

"What kinda fool would think that them girl scouts were behind the crop circles." Vigilante asked in a humorous tone.

"The kind of man who has the nerve to ask the question…" the Question answered in a serious tone. Unlike you… I have other things to do." He said rising from his seat. Pushing through the double doors, the Question left without another word.

Green Arrow exchanged confused looks with Vigilante as they watched Question leave.

"I think they're both crazy." Green Arrow muttered, looking slightly bewildered.

"Agreed." The cowboy themed superhero said, before drowning the remains of his drink in one gulp. "Haven't seen such a downright unstable piece of work since Huntress left the Justice League."

The green-clad man simply nodded in response. "Still… leave it be. This Raven girl's business really doesn't have anything to do with us."

**WITH RAVEN**

From what had just happened, the young sorceress began to wonder if she had done the right thing. Perhaps accepting new people in her life was going to be more difficult than she had originally thought. She made herself a mental note to be more accepting of her fellow heroes from now on.

Despite her newfound resolve, she continued to miss her old friends. While she saw Starfire and Cyborg, these meetings were short due to the League's constant missions. While she had retained contact with three of her former teammates, the young sorceress found herself wondering what had happened to their former leader.

Thinking about her friends, perhaps it was time for her to find some answers of her own. Remembering something that the Flash had told her, she realized that there was one person who may be able to help her. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she concluded that she had about an hour before her shift resumed. Heading down the elevator, she decided to go to level five so that she could find the room that she was searching for. Stepping out of the elevator, she realized how empty this corridor was compared to those on the other floors. Apparently very few people came to the research department.

Reaching the end of the dimly lit hallway, Raven found herself standing outside of a large steel door. Despite the fact that it was unlocked, she felt hesitant to enter. Her hand grasped the handle of the door, but her fingers felt as if they were frozen in time. It wasn't as if she was scared of the person that she was about to meet… she was actually more afraid of what she could find out. After what seemed like an eternity, she pushed open the door.

The room had a futuristic look to it like the rest of the space station. The walls were metallic, and a large computer monitor covered nearly the entire back wall of the room. A man sat in the chair in front of the computer, his back turned to her. Hearing his new arrival, he switched off the computer, causing the writing on the screen faded into a black void as the power went out. It was as if he was attempting to hide the information from her eyes. The man turned around in his chair to meet his visitor. He was a large man wearing a black cape, the top half of his face covered by his trademark mask. Raven had seen him before on the day the founding members had welcomed her, but now that she was barely standing within a few feet of him, she realized how intimidating Batman was up close.

"I had a feeling that I would see you sooner or later." Batman said, his voice low and serious.

Raven broke out of her silence. "You seem to know a lot. The question is… How much do you know?"

Batman took a stack of papers out of his desk, casting a glare in her direction. "Your name is Raven, you were a founding member of the Teen Titans, you can control chaos magic, you were born in a place named Azarath, and you were a student of Doctor Fate for the last few months of you life before joining the League… Need I say more."

Raven looked a little surprised to hear how much Batman had known about her. Her eyes narrowed as she wondered how he knew. "How exactly do you know so much about me?" she asked.

At this, Batman tossed her a folder. "In that folder is a copy of your information from Titans Tower. Your friend Cyborg was kind enough to provide us with it after you joined the League."

"I'll have to ask him about that later." She said, her expression softening. "Anyway… I came here to…" she began.

Batman raised his hand to silence her. "I know what you want… and I can't tell you. You were going to ask me about Dick Grayson… weren't you."

The young sorceress nodded in response. "Yes… I want to know where he…"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that." The caped crusader replied, interrupting her in mid-sentence. "Nightwing and I have been in contact… but it is his personal desire that I keep his location a secret." Raven opened her mouth to say something.

"Don't bother." He said, interrupting her again. "Your other friends tried asking me already… That Tamaranian girl looked like she was going to attack me when I refused to say anything. I'm sorry… I can't help you."

Raven nodded, looking slightly disappointed.

Batman got to his feet. "Dick Grayson has been conflicted about his life for a while, but he's a good, headstrong piece of work. Don't worry about him, you'll see him again." The Dark Knight replied, as he removed a disk from the computer and placed it in his utility belt. Walking past her, Batman disappeared into the darkened hallway and was gone.

The young sorceress felt like she had reached a dead end, but decided that it was best to drop the subject for now. Hearing a familiar voice, Raven moved closer to one of the speakers to hear.

"Attention all Justice League members… Shayera Hol, Green Arrow, Booster Gold and… Raven report to the control room. That is all." J'onn J'onzz's voice echoed throughout the Watchtower. With a flash of dark energy, Raven set off to the control room. Despite her previous annoyance with the Martian, she was starting to wonder what her mission would be. Little did she know they were in for quite some trouble.

NOTE TO READERS: Well… this fanfiction doesn't seem very popular with fans, but I will continue my work because I enjoy writing it. Thanks to anyone who actually reviewed, I appreciate it. Keep it up… reviews motivate me to update faster.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: First Mission **

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Teen Titans or any of its characters or logos.

Gliding down the hallway using her powers, Raven was actually anticipating her first mission, but although she would never admit it, the young sorceress was uncharacteristically nervous. Levitating up the staircase, she landed on her feet by the door of the control room. Taking a slow breath, she pressed the button and entered the large room.

"Good, Everyone is present." J'onn J'onzz said, looking around the room. "Is everyone ready."

His question was answered by a collection of nods from her fellow heroes. While Raven wasn't quite sure how to react, the other heroes seemed completely confident. Green Arrow wore a confident expression as he drew his bow, while Shayera Hol tightened her grip on the handle of her mace. Booster Gold wore a confident smirk, and simply batted a thumb's up while giving the others a confident grin. Despite their reactions, Raven had a feeling that this wasn't going to be an easy mission. Whenever a founding member of the Justice League was dispatched as a team leader, the situation was usually serious. Standing her ground, the young sorceress drew herself up to her full height and clenched her fists.

Satisfied with the nonverbal answers, the Martian continued. "The four of you are to stop a group of super villains from robbing the museum in Gotham City tonight."

"If the situation is in Gotham, then why send us? Why don't you let Batman handle it?" Green Arrow asked.

"He has already been assigned another mission and he left five minutes ago." The Martian replied.

"What kind of villains are we talking about anyway, and what would they want with a crystal?" the Thanagarian asked, looking unsure.

J'onn simply shook his head. "We are not sure, but our intelligence reports that a group of villains is heading there tonight. You leave immediately… dismissed."

Without another word, the four heroes left the control room and headed toward the transporter. Standing on the panel, Raven was slightly nervous about traveling using a device that transports a person's molecules. Before she could tell what had happened, the four heroes were engulfed in flashes of light.

Reappearing in a Gotham City, the young sorceress eyed her new surroundings. The city was dark, and it appeared to be around midnight. Turning around, she caught sight of her teammates behind her.

"Follow me…" Shayera ordered, as she moved to the head of the group. Raven swept wordlessly after the Thanagarian as she caught up with the others

Green Arrow held his arm out, causing everyone to stop in their tracks. "We can't just walk into the museum like that… we should split up into two groups so that we can cover the ground and the sky." He suggested to the group.

Shayera nodded. "All right. I'll take Booster Gold and hold the position on the roof next to the skylight. Green Arrow can take Raven and sneak in through the ground entrance." Raven nodded in approval of the plan. Watching the first two head for the roof, she decided to get into position. Gliding over to the green-cald super hero, she gestured forward.

"All right… let's get going." Green Arrow said to her.

Raven looked slightly unsure if the situation. She had learned from the past that being hasty could lead a team to ruin. "Maybe we should use the back door?"

"Good idea."

Following the green-clad archer, the young sorceress decided to employ some of her new abilities. Training with Doctoer Fate had proved to be a much more benficial experience then the time she had learned magic from the dark Dragon, Melchior. Despite the fact that he specialized in a different brach of magic, Raven forund that her new teacher focused more on mental powers than brute force. Remembering a useful spell that he had taught her, the young sorceress began weaving complicated hands signs. "Ruun Kata et no Zal." she chanted, as the spell began forming into a magical aura. The spell sent out black sparks before shielding the pair of them with a cloak of magic.

"What are you doing?" the green-clad hero asked her, looking slightly impatient.

"Hold on a moment." she said, closing her eyes to increase her concentration. "It's an invisibility spell… As long as I can maintain it, we cannot be seen by the naked eye."

"Well I'll be damned! Good job kid." Green Arrow replied, giving her a reassuring smile. "They won't know what hit em."

"Stay close." She warned. "This spell uses a lot of magic and can be hard to maintain, so its better if we travel closely together so that I don't have to strain myself."

The green-clad superhero nodded and kept a close proximity. Reaching the back door, Raven magically opened the door, allowing them to enter the building. Looking around, the young sorceress spotted many boxes. The crate-filled room was obviously some sort of storage area. Twisting the door nob, Green Arrow peaked through a crack in the door before remembering that she had rendered them invisible.

As he opened the door, she caught sight of the large number of ancient artifacts lining the walls, preserved in glass cases. Using her powers, Raven began searching the building with her mind, attempting to find some trace of the enemy's presence. Shuddering, her senses could feel the enemy approaching.

Raven opened her mouth to warn her partner, but she deemed the task unnecessary as the sound of voices began to echoe throughout the facility.

Sidling forward, the pair of heroes caught sight of the enemy. The robbers were all noted and dangerous super villains. At the head of the group stood a large man whom she recognized as the Flash's enemy, Captain Boomerang. Following him was the skull face terror, Doctor Destiny, and a notorious pair of villains that needed no introduction.

Behind them stood the Clown Prince of Crime himself, accompanied by his insane girlfriend, Harley Quinn. Taking up the rear was an irate looking woman with short blue hair and a pale snow-like complexion, known as Killer Frost, and an enemy that she knew all too well… the annoying pest, Dr, Light.

Raven was surprised to be facing such well-known villains on her first mission, but was not easily intimidated by an opponent. Watching the enemies move, she spared a glance at her partner. Receiving a small nod from the green-clad superhero, she lowered her barrier, to use another spell.

Before she could articulate another incantation, the shattering of glass caught her attention. Looking out from her hiding spot, she saw Doctor Destiny holding the crystal.

At this, Green Arrow leapt from his hiding spot, firing an explosive arrow into the group. Scattering from the impact, the group of villains avoided the blast. Joining the fight, Raven levitated into the air. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos." She chanted, forming a dark veil of energy around the crystal, causing the jewel to fly through the air and land in her hand.

"Well lookie here folks. We got ourselves a little magician." The Joker said, laughing maniacally.

Killer Frost charged forward on a column of ice, looking slightly amused by Raven's magic powers. "My turn." The ice manipulator laughed, sending a wall of ice crashing down in Raven's direction. Pushing her hand upward, Raven used her chaos magic to conjure a wall of dark energy. Pressing against the wall of ice, her magic shattered it into pieces raining icy shards down on the super villains.

Running forward, Green Arrow shot an arrow at Captain Boomerang, but the projectile was met in midair by the latter's exploding boomerang. "Aye mate… can't keep up." The villain said, dodging a second arrow. Turning around, the villain saw Booster Gold and Shayera coming through the skylight. " Careful nippers, there's more of um." He shouted, moving out of the way of Booster Gold's fist.

Doctor Destiny moved forward to attack them, but was struck in the head by the end of Hawk Girl's mace, sending him flying. His limp form lay motionless on the ground.

Distracted by this new arrival, Raven turned around just in time to receive a face full of the Joker's laughing gas. Collapsing onto the floor, Raven could not stop herself from laughing. She rolled around on the hard tile floor, unable to stop her hysterical laughing long enough to articulate a spell.

"What do ya think my dear? Did I overdo it?" the Clown Prince of Crime asked his girlfriend.

Harley Quinn smiled, looking psychotic. "Great job Mistah J. Only you forgot somethin." She said.

"And what would that be?" the Joker asked sounding genuinely curious as he picked up the crystal that Raven had dropped.

Drawing a gun, Harley aimed it at Raven.

Raven looked shocked through her hysterical laughter. The insane female jester puller the trigger, sending a giant boxing glove flying at Raven's head, but Booster Gold leapt forward, seizing the young sorceress by the back of her robe and pulling her to safety.

"C'mon kid. Ya gotta ruin the fun. No one likes a man who stops the joke before the punch line." The Joker said laughing maniacally, before spraying acid out of the flower on his suit.

The Gold-clad hero leapt out of the way again, aiming a punch at Harley Quinn, who cart wheeled out of his reach. "Ya missed me." The female jester taunted, grinning widely.

Feeling the laughing gas wearing off, Raven uttered a spell to remove the chemical from her body. The magic worked, allowing her to rejoin the fray.

Shayera stood on the opposite side of the room, holding her ground against an irritated Killer Frost. The Thanagarian smashed through layers of ice with her mace, striking the ice elemental directly in the chest. The pale-faced villain lay motionless on the ground. "Two down, four to go." Hawk Girl said, flying back into the group of fighters.

Raven bound Captain Boomerang with her magic, giving herself the opportunity to knock him unconscious with her sleeping spell. Turning around, she watched Green Arrow knock Doctor Light to the ground with one of his high-impact arrows.

Seeing the remaining heroes standing over his neutralized teammates, the Joker and Harley Quinn stood cornered. The Clown Prince of Crime let out maniacal laughter as he held out the crystal that Raven had dropped during the fight.

"Tootle loo. It's been fun." The Joker said. As the League began to close in one him, he cast a bag of marbles onto the floor. Raven was unsure whether to laugh or not, but the marbles let off a poisonous smoke, acting as a cover. The Joker and Harley disappeared behind the barrier of smog. As the smoke cleared, there was no sign of them.

The group looked suddenly downcast as they began to leave. "Back to the Watchtower." Hawk Girl ordered. "Take the bad guys with you."

"J'onn, beam us up." She said into her communicator. With another flash of light, they reappeared on the Watchtower's transporters. Handing the unconscious villains over to the staff, they proceeded down the hallway.

Raven followed the others to the control room, a rather proud smile on her face. As the doors opened, the Martian approached them.

"So… did you succeed." He asked.

Shayera shook her head. "The Joker got away with the crystal, but we were able to capture the other villains for questioning." She said.

Raven took a step forward, looking quite pleased. "Actually… he took a fake crystal with him."

Hawk Girl and the others exchanged confused looks.

"It's simple." Raven explained. "During the battle, I took a moment to create a fake using a spell. I sent the real crystal into a pocket dimension." Reaching into a void that she had conjured, the young sorceress pulled out the real crystal as the portal closed.

"Impressive…" Green Arrow said, raising an eyebrow.

"Indeed." The Martian commented, giving Raven a nod of approval. "You've done well."

Raven nodded back, but a sudden tired feeling overcame her, and she passed out. Reaching out, the Martian caught her before she hit the ground. He put a hand to her heart, and then felt her forehead. "Hmm… I'm no expert on magic, but it appears that using all of those spells used up too much energy. She just needs some rest, but I believe that she should be better by tomorrow."

The others watched as two medics seized the young sorceress from the Martian and carry her away.

NOTE TO READERS: Thanks for the multiple reviews, its good to see that people are enjoying the story. Keep it up. Like I said, reviews keep me wanting to write more. Also, to alleviate possible confusion, Doctor Destiny is a separate character from Doctor Fate, and Dr. Light in this chapter is the villain from the Teen Titans, not the female hero from the Justice League.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Revelations **

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Teen Titans, Justice League, or any of their characters or logos.

Sitting in the heroes lounge, the young sorceress set down her tray and began to eat lunch.

It had been a few days since her first mission, and Raven actually felt that she had found her place in the League. With her newfound confidence fueling her actions, the young sorceress was steadily becoming more sociable toward the other heroes. While Raven could never have been considered an outwardly emotional individual, she was slowly progressing in her own way.

She was even beginning to get to know her fellow heroes, aside from Starfire and Cyborg. The biggest change in the past days was the way that the other members of the League treated her. The most noticeable difference could be seen in her teammates from the mission. Green Arrow, Booster Gold, and Shayera had shown a much more welcoming and friendly attitude. Even the Martian's way of speaking to her had changed. He had been courteous to her before, but now he treated her with a new respect. Things really changed since the completion of her mission, although in some ways it was hardly noticeable.

Taking the last bite of her lunch, Raven glanced at the clock on the wall. Judging by the position of the hands, it was almost time for he to return to Doctor Fate's Tower for the night. Placing her tray back onto the table, the blue-clad sorceress got to her feet and headed to the transporter. It was a little better for her now that the other heroes treated her like a valued comrade rather than an outsider. Apparently she had acted quite cold towards them before realizing the error of her ways. As she continued her journey to the main hanger, a familiar voice sounded on the loud speaker, catching her attention.

"Raven, please report to the main counsel room." J'onn's voice echoed throughout the entire space station.

Turning up the largest flight of stairs, Raven felt slightly nervous about what the founding members wanted with her. Reaching the room, she knocked on the large metal door in front of her. The door slid open, allowing the young spell caster to observe her surroundings. She was in a large circular room with a table in the middle. Computer systems could be seen on the walls, and there were no windows in the room. The founding members of the Justice League sat around the table, eying the crystal on the center of the table. As she stepped forward, their eyes all turned to her.

The doors slammed shut behind her, blocking out all of the noises outside. Raven realized that the room was soundproof so that they could conduct their meetings in private.

"Why was I summoned here?" She asked. Despite the fact that she was trying to sound indifferent, her mind was swimming with a multitude of different possible answers.

"That will become clear all in good time. We're just waiting for Doctor Fate to arrive." Superman said, trying to reassure the young sorceress.

Looking around, she saw a flash of light and the sign of the Egyptian Ankh as Doctor Fate appeared behind her. Turning to her mentor, she received a small nod. Stepping forward, he began to explain.

"I called this meeting, because I have felt a disturbance in the mystic alignment." He said to the room's occupants. "The catalyst for this appears to be the crystal that you have recently procured from that band of marauding villains."

At this, Batman got to his feet. "Wait a minute… are you saying that the crystal is more then just a priceless jewel?"

"Indeed…" Fate replied. "Since I was called here a few days ago, I have been researching such magical items, and have concluded that the jewel is forged of chaos magic."

The Flash looked skeptical. "Yeah… and what would a bunch of rag-tag super villains possibly want with some fancy hocus-pocus like that?"

Despite the Flash's sarcastic tone, his comment was met with multiple nods from some of the other founding members.

Wonderwoman was the first to comment. "Flash has a point." the Amazon added . "The villains at the scene were not known to be magically inclined. Perhaps they just thought that it was simply a valuable gem."

"A possibility… but don't you think that they could have been hired by someone else who does specialize in using magic?" Batman interjected.

Superman nodded in response, but gave the Dark Knight a slightly disbelieving look. "That's a good possibility… but many of the more magically inclined villains are unlikely suspects in this case. We already know that Faust is dead, no one has seen Tala since Darkseid's invasion, and Circe has no grudge against us.

Doctor Fate raised his hand to call attention back to himself. "While I cannot say who is behind this for sure, I believe I know what the crystal may be."

"Then just tell us already." Shayera said, looking impatient.

"If my suspicions are correct, then I believe that I can show you." He said to them. Walking forward, Doctor Fate took the crystal, and held it out to Raven.

"Chaos magic is your specialty… focus your energy into the crystal and reveal the gem's true nature." He said.

The young sorceress looke slightly unsure.

"All right." She replied. Taking the crystal in both hands, she folded one hand on top of the other, covering the stone with her fingers. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos." She chanted to herself as she felt her energy enter the jewel.

After a few moments, the crystal turned onyx black and became hotter than fire. It burned at her hands, but despite the pain she could not let go of the rock. As if beckoned by the darkness, she felt herself lose control of her senses. Her eyes turned blood red, and an extra pair of eyes appeared on her forehead.

Doctor Fate kept his eyes focused on the surface of the crystal. His eyes widened in fear as a small red line appeared on the crystal. Slowly the mark of Scath etched its way onto the surface of the jewel, burning crimson red like Raven's eyes.

Raven had felt Trigon's power before, but it had been years since his defeat. Unable to control herself, she began to laugh in a cruel sadistic tone, reminiscent of her father's voice. Darkness surrounded her being, giving off a forbidding aura as she slowly began to rise into the air.

The members of the Justice League got to their feet… shock on their faces. Shayera reached for her mace, but was held back by Doctor Fate who raised his hand in objection to her actions.

Flying forward, Fate placed a hand one her head, chanting a mysterious incantation. At this, the crystal fell from her hands, her extra pair of eyes disappeared and her normal eyes returned to their original color. As the dark influence dissipated, Raven fell to her knees, her face inches from the cold tile floor.

Helping her stand, Doctor Fate pushed her into a chair. "My suspicions are correct. The jewel is indeed one of the three Tri-gems." He said.

"What?" Raven asked weakly, her eyes barely open. She struggled to stand, but her mentor merely pushed her back into the chair, trying to keep the young sorceress from harming herself.

"What is going on here?" the Man of Steel asked, a look of concern on his face.

Doctor Fate nodded. "I will tell you. The Tri-gems are a set of three crystals that contain the essence of the demon Trigon. The order that originally sealed him away trapped some of his power in three crystals to weaken him. As we already know, Raven is the daughter of this demon… and shares some of his power."

Batman looked indifferent. "I remember four years ago when the skies grew dark around the world, and then I remember seeing a mysterious light. When I came to everything was back to normal. The advent of Trigon was four years ago, wasn't it? If what you've told us is true… it was the power of Trigon."

Fate nodded. "Indeed. Four years ago, Trigon rose to power in Jump City. It was then that he turned every being on the planet to stone. The only people that were not affected were the Teen Titans, and those that were protected by the magic that flows freely within my home. I contemplated on how I could help… but I needed only watch as the children defeated Trigon. If what Raven tells me is true, than she received an unnatural boost of power long enough to turn Trigon's power against him, and destroy him."

The Flash let out a low whistle. "Impressive!" he said, flashing the injured Raven a smile.

"Be that as it may, knowing what happened back then doesn't help us now." Batman interjected, his patience beginning to wane. "The problem is far from over. If the person behind this knows exactly what those crystals are, then they will probably attempt to get their hands on the other two."

Superman stood up. "You have a point. I propose that we have the question do some research."

"Oh man, you can't be serious." The Flash said, looking slightly annoyed. "That conspiracy buff thinks that dental fluoride actually allows a person to be tracked by spy satellites. He's a glorified crackpot. Are you sure this is a good idea?"

The Man of Steel nodded. "Granted he is a little eccentric, but if a recall, it was the Question that figured out what Project Cadmus was planning in the US government."

His argument earned a few nods from the other founding members.

"Very well…" J'onn said. "Then it is decided."

Fate nodded. "Agreed… I too will search for more information, but I think it would also be wise for me to rally as many magically inclined League members as possible. I may require some assistance with this research."

"Not a bad idea." Green Lantern said. The group exchanged unsure expressions, but agreed.

"Thank you." Doctor Fate replied. "If you'll excuse me… I must return to my tower." In another flash of light, he was gone.

Reaching down, Superman lifted Raven's limp form from the chair. "Did you hear everything?" he asked.

"Yeah…" she answered wearily.

Superman nodded, turning to the others. "I'll take her down to the hospital wing. Maybe we should have J'onn and Batman head down to the prison hold to interrogate the villains that we recently captured."

Batman and the Martian got to their feet, walking out the door. Superman picked up Raven and left as the others filed out of the counsel room.

INTERROGATION ROOM 

Killer Frost sat in a metal chair with her limbs shackled and bound to prevent her from using her powers. Looking around, she had a shrewd suspicion that this was going to be an interesting session as Batman and the Martian entered the room.

"Come to laugh at me?" the pale-faced female spat, sticking her tongue out.

Batman moved forward, backhanding the ice manipulator. "We'll ask the questions. Don't get smart, unless you want J'onn to mess around with you brain."

The ice elemental looked slightly frightened at the idea of having the alien messing with her head, but hardened her expression to mask her fear.

"Who is behind this crime?" the Martian asked.

"Hell if I know. I'm just a…"

"Yeah yeah… we know. You're a victim of circumstance right? You're just a hired hand. We've heard it before." Batman interrupted. "But someone had to hire you… Tell us now."

"Kiss my frozen ass." The pale-faced woman spat, spitting at the floor.

Batman looked suddenly angry. "Don't push me. Just tell us… or else."

She looked slightly unsure of what to do. "And what's in it for me anyway."

"Your mind remaining undisturbed." The Martian replied. "I could simply probe your mind with my powers. You wouldn't want that… would you."

"Fine…" she said. "It was a man… he called himself Deathstroke."

Batman's eyes widened in shock as he swept from the room, leaving J'onn to send her back to the prison hold. If what he heard was true, the man she had spoke of hadn't been seen in over four years. Rounding a corner, he decided that it was time to pay an old accomplice a visit.

NOTE TO READERS: Thanks for reading. I am grateful to anyone who reviewed my previous chapters. Keep reviewing, it motivates me to write faster.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Enemy 

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Teen Titans, Justice League, or any of the characters of logos from the two series.

FOREWORD: Prepare for a villains only chapter. Hope you enjoy it.

Metropolis was never a cheerful place at night, because it was around this time that the town's many villains came out.

Slade Wilson sat behind his desk in an underground base outside of Metropolis. While Slade was never a patient man, his new plan was finally placed into action. It had been many years since he had been seen by outsiders, but he enjoyed the secrecy. Looking at the clock on his desk, the villain began to lose his patience. The villains that he had hired to steal the crystal in Gotham should have been back by now. A crater appeared, as the un-amused crime lord slammed his fist into the wall.

A sudden rapping on his door disturbed his brooding behavior. Going back to his desk, Slade took out his mask and brought it up to his head. Once he had it secured over his bearded face, he pressed the button on his control panel. The metal door slid open, revealing the grinning faces of the Joker and Harley Quinn.

"Judging by the fact that you are the only ones here, I am guessing that the others were captured." The masked villain asked.

"Eh… who needs um?" the female jester replied, walking over to him, and pushing herself into a sitting position on his desk. Too bad the League got in the way."

The Joker let out a maniacal laugh. "How very astute of you, my dear. However, what the boss man wanted." The maniacal clown said, pulling out a crystal.

Slade took the jewel in his hand, observing it closely. After a moment, the masked villain tightened his fingers around it, shattering the crystal in his fist. The Joker stepped backwards as the shards of the broken gem scattered like ice.

"After all that work… you break it. I'm quite hurt." The Joker said in a mocking tone, looking slightly irritated at the same time.

"Idiots… that crystal was obviously a fake." Slade replied, smashing his fist clean through his desk, the impact causing the two pieces of his desk to fall apart. "Get out… I'm going to have to take care of this another way."

"Woo… someone's got their undies in a bunch." The Clown Prince of Crime commented, as he ducked a flying lamp.

"Wait for me, Mistah J. Man he's angry." Harley said, following Joker.

Watching the clowns leave, the masked villain decided that it was time to arrange his plans for the next crystal. Picking up the phone, the crime lord began dialing rapidly.

IN GOTHAM CITY 

The Penguin sat in his office in the Ice Lounge, reading a newspaper. Having previously dismissed his associates, the birdlike man was looking forward to retiring for the night.

"The Justice League Saves the Day…" the portly crime lord read out loud to himself. As he read this article his facial expression becoming angry and forbidding.

"How sickening…" the man spat. Crumpling up the newspaper, the Penguin tossed the discarded periodical into the fireplace. He couldn't help but smile in amusement as Batman's photo on the front page burned into ashes.

Hearing the ringing phone on his desk, the mafia head settled himself back into his chair. He was none too amused at being called on this late at night, but decided that it was better to take care of it now. Lifting the phone to his ear, he was hoping that whatever it was could wait until morning.

"What do you want? Who is this? This had better be important." The crime lord shouted into the mouthpiece.

"It's you new client." Slade replied.

"Ah, Deathstroke… I thought I told you not to call me on my direct line. Unlike some people… I prefer to keep my reputation as a businessman." The Penguin spat into the phone.

Slade gave a hoarse laugh at this. "You squawk like an innocent man, but in the end you're nothing more than a filthy jail bird."

"Well… unlike you. I find ways to legitimize my business ventures." The crime boss spat.

The masked villain was losing his patience. "Did you arrange the crystal's safe transport?"

"Oh… you mean that jewel that you want so much. It is being smuggled into Metropolis from Gotham City tonight."

"And how are you planning on doing this without attracting unwanted attention?"

Penguin gave a small chuckle. "Come now… I am not a fool. I chartered a cargo ship to deliver the goods for my newest business venture, The Metro Ice Lounge. Among the building materials and equipment is the item you seek, along with the weapons that the area's mafia purchased from me."

Slade looked slightly concerned. "I'm warning you… there is no margin for error. The last group of villains I hired was not able to complete the task properly. Your shipment had better be safe."

"Of course… I have personnel guarding the ship from all sides."

"The League may try to interfere. If they have somehow found out what is going on, then they may try to interfere." The masked villain warned.

"Do not worry… I have already thought of that, and I have hired some A-rank villains to handle the League if they show up."

"Who did you hire?" The masked villain asked, looking unsure of the situation.

The Penguin straightened his monocle, and read the small paper on his desk before picking up the phone again. "I hired Bane, Mad Mod, Livewire, Riddler, Sonar, and Mirror Master. I believe they will be more than a match for whatever the League sends."

"Very well… just don't mess this up." Slade replied. Looking irritated, the masked villain hung up the phone. Walking through the doors of his office, he decided to call a meeting. Looking out over the large room below, Slade couldn't help but smile behind his mask. In the large meeting room was an assembly of the world's most powerful villains.

After the death of Grodd and the disappearance of Lex Luthor the Legion of Doom had become divided and leaderless, but Slade had sought them out over the last year, gathering them together once again. In addition to this, he had also taken the liberty of bringing other villains into the organization as well. While they were all powerful villains, Slade knew that this organization was necessary to protect them against the Justice League.

While the group was originally unwilling to accept him be the leader, Slade had been much more clever than Luthor or Grodd. Not only did the masked villain prove his leadership skills to the mob of unruly villains, but he also gained their trust and was willing to help them get whatever they wanted within reason. Needless to say, he had formed policies and plans that not only gave each of them a purpose in the organization, but he knew how to satisfy them, and was able to create a far more stable structure within the organization than the Legion ever had before.

The villains present tonight were Sinestro, Bizarro, Star Sapphire, Metallo, Joker, Harley Quinn, Giganta, Cheetah, Toyman, Heat Wave, Plastique, Puppet King, Deadshot, Captain Cold, Atomic Skull, Warp, Clock King, Plasmus, Volcana, Evil Star, Mumbo Jumbo, Poison Ivy, Overload, Scarecrow, Cinderblock, Major Disaster, Control Freak, Electrocutioner, and Roulette.

Clearing his throat, the masked villain addressed his organization. "I am pleased that so many of you are present here tonight. My plans are nearly ready to reach fruition, but I may require your services in the future to make our dream a reality."

Star Sapphire floated into the air. "And our goal was what again?"

Slade laughed half-heartedly. " Well my dear, it is very simple. Once we obtain the crystals, I will have the power to overthrow the Earth. We will reveal the true nature of our organization. Under my leadership, we will eliminate all who oppose us and rule the world together."

"Hope you have a better plan than Luthor or Grodd." Sinestro said, raising an eyebrow. "Last time we helped someone enact their so-called master plan, we were almost killed in the process."

"Bear with me… This plan will succeed if we stand together as an organization." Slade replied, glaring at Sinestro through his mask.

"When my plans finally come to pass, not even the Justice League will stand in our way. The Legion of Doom will destroy all who dare stand in our way." Slade said in a calm yet sinister tone. Turning back to the rest of the villains, his statement was met with a chorus of evil shouts and laughs from the group of villains, as they applauded his ideals. Sinestro folded his arms and glided back onto the floor, joining the others.

The Joker stood in the center of the room laughing maniacally as he tossed Harley into the air in enjoyment. Noticing that his actions were beginning to attract odd stares from the other villains, the Joker accidentally let her hit the floor.

"How ya doin my dear?" he asked looking slightly amused.

"A-okay Mistah J." she answered drunkenly as she struggled to her feet, barely keeping her balance.

"You are dismissed." Slade replied, taking the control of the meeting again. As the villains filed out, the masked villain couldn't help but feel pleased at how things were going. A crystal would be in his hands by tomorrow night, and he would find the real crystal that the Justice League had taken soon enough. For once, everything seemed to be going as planned.

NOTE TO READERS: I am grateful to those of you who reviewed. Keep it up. I enjoy writing the story, especially if people enjoy reading it. Review… it motivates me to write, and update faster.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Preparations and Questions **

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters or logos.

**IN GOTHAM CITY**

Batman sat by his computer, researching the crystals that the League had recently recovered. He was back home in Gotham City, but a hero's work was never done. Sitting back in his chair, Bruce Wayne was beginning to feel that familiar weariness that threatened to overtake him. Reaching over to the table, he seized the handle of his coffee mug and took another sip. While the beverage was bitter and cold after sitting out for a few hours, it helped him stay awake.

"You okay Bruce?" a voice came from behind him.

Ignoring the new arrival, Batman continued his tireless vigil. After a few minutes, he turned around to find Barbara Gordon sitting in the chair behind him.

Relaxing, she took a sip of his up of coffee. "Yuck…" she spat, looking disgusted. "How long have you been sitting there anyway?"

Batman simply shook his head. "This is Justice League business… you really should go home."

Barbara shrugged in response. "Ever since I started college, I go out partying so much that I don't really think it matters much anymore. Speaking of which, what are you doing so late at night?"

"That's none of you concern. You're not a member of the League." Bruce replied gruffly, turning his back to the computer screen.

She couldn't stand him when he got like this. "Fine, keep your secrets." she replied. " But I don't understands why I was never invited to join the Justice League. If Superman let Kara join, how come I can't."

Switching off his computer, Batman walked over and took the seat opposite her. "Someone has to protect Gotham while I'm not around, and Tim Drake is too young to handle the job by himself." He explained, looking down at her from behind his mask. "When you took the title of Batgirl, you accepted this responsibility. If you joined the Justice League then you would be obligated to them, instead of the city."

Batgirl looked slightly disappointed before speaking up again. "True, I guess that's why you're only a part time member."

Bruce Wayne nodded in response to her statement. "At least you understand. But I do need your help with something."

The young sidekick raised an eyebrow. "What do you need me for?"

Batman paused for a moment before speaking again. "While I can't give you any specific details, I do believe that you can help with some Justice League business."

"Tell me what I need to do."

"There's a mysterious shipment being smuggled aboard a cargo ship tonight. While Penguin chartered the boat to ship materials to Metropolis to build a new lounge, I did some research and I believe that he may have an artifact aboard the ship as well." he explained.

"What does this artifact have to do with anything."

The caped crusader narrowed his eyes. "That's Classified information. I just need you to accompany me tomorrow night to the harbor. We need to inspect the cargo aboard that ship."

She smiled. "All right, I'm in."

Batman nodded in acknowledgment. " I also need you to find Tim Drake and tell him to meet us tomorrow night at the docks."

"Finally, I get some real action." She said, looking forward to the mission. "It'll be just like old times." she replied, winking at him.

As she left the Batcave, Batman lifted his phone. "So… can you get here by tomorrow?" he said into the mouthpiece.

"If I hurry, maybe. Is it an emergency." The voice answered.

Batman looked amused. "It could be… I also have some interesting news for you. If you help me tomorrow night, than I'll tell you." He said.

"Holding information as an added incentive... Bruce, you are one stubborn piece of work…" the other person replied as he hung up the phone.

**WATCHTOWER**

Raven went through the doors of Batman's chamber, searching for the Dark Knight. Her eyes scanned the room for a moment, but there was not sign of him. Sighing in defeat, she realized that he must have returned to Gotham. She had spent the entire night looking for him, and despite her best efforts, she could not locate him.

Pacing down the dimly lit halls of the research department, her ears picked up the sound of another person. Following the faint mutters, she came to another closed door. While slightly hesitant to disturb whoever it was, Raven pressed the button on the wall. As the metal doors slid open, the young sorceress looked around the room. A man was sitting behind a desk with his back turned to her as he constantly muttered nonsensical things to himself.

"Hello…" she asked, looking uncertain.

"What! Oh… its you." He replied, barely sparing her a glance.

Seeing his face, the young sorceress recognized him. She had met this man her first night at the Watchtower. Seeing him now, Raven concluded that he probably never removed his mask.

She surveyed the strange man for a moment, looking slightly amused by his eccentric personality. It was possible that he was even stranger than her. Taking a breath, Raven decided to talk to him. "I apologize for the intrusion." She said, still not completely sure what to say.

Instead of answering her, he continued to talk to himself, seemingly uninterested in her.

Raven was used to being ignored, but this man was the only other person in the room, and he had no excuse. " I don't know if you remember, but we met earlier this week, and I apologize for my rudeness."

"Yes yes… now if you don't mind, I have work to do." He replied, standing up and walking over to a board covered in photographs and newspaper clippings.

Raven raised an eyebrow in annoyance, looking unsure of this man's sanity. "Um… I was just wondering what you're doing down here."

The Question turned to look at her for the first time, staring directly at the young sorceress. "If you've come to make fun of what I do, then go away. I get enough ridicule from the rest of the League for more so-called crackpot theories. I'm a busy man. I am currently researching your father's crystals."

Her eyes widened in shock for a moment. "What do you mean? I mean… How did you…" she began.

"What's the matter? You thought that only Doctor Fate and the founding members knew of your parentage." Question replied. "From the look on your face, I guess you must be wondering how I know."

She nodded, looking slightly confused.

"Well… the others didn't tell me anything, so don't go asking them about it. I found out for myself." He replied.

Raven began to contemplate on this man had violated her private life. "How did you find out?"

Question nodded. "You want to know… fine, I'll give you some answers."

"It better be good." She sneered, her temper beginning to show.

Ignoring her anger, he decided that it was best to explain things now and worry about it later. "From the moment we met, I knew that there was something strange about you. You were more mysterious than any other member of the League that I had ever met. After you left the Cafeteria that night, I decided to do some research. I wanted to know who you were, and considering how impolite you were that night, I had a shrewd suspicion that you were not going to willingly give me the answers. Through my research, I was able to find out some interesting things."

"What kind of things?" she asked, sounding slightly apprehensive.

"Well… you were born in a place called Azarath, you were a founding member of the Teen Titans, you can manipulate chaos magic, you are a half-demon girl, daughter of Arella and the demon Trigon, and your powers were once connected to your father's own magic. You are also affected by the crystals which I have been assigned to research." He said. "Oh… and you seem very fond of dark chocolate." He finished, holding up one of her wrappers.

"What! You go through my trash!" she asked, unable to hide the outrage in her voice.

"Oh please… I go through everyone's trash around here." He replied nonchalantly.

Although Raven had trained her mind to control her emotions, even she was having trouble containing her outrage. Many questions also started popping into here head. Where did he learn so much about her? Where did he find the information? Was he just crazy? Was she crazy? Despite that fact that he seemed mad, this man seemed to know more about her than Batman.

Reaching forward, she tried to hit him, but found herself unable to. Turning her head, the young sorceress caught sight of a woman older than her. The new arrival wore a mask, revealing black clothing, and a long cape.

"Don't even think about it. He may be a lunatic… but he's my lunatic." She replied, looking daggers at Raven.

The young sorceress was a little surprised at this new arrival. It was even more surprising that the Question was able to get her to the point where she hadn't even detected this woman's presence.

The Question offered the woman a seat, and although his face was covered, Raven could tell that he was happy to see her. "Glad you could make it." He said, returning to his desk.

Raven looked confused. "Who is that?" she asked the faceless man.

"The name's Huntress." She answered, moving into a seductive position as she sat on Question's desk.

Question nodded in Raven's direction. "Huntress used to be a member of the League. She was fired for her violent actions and failure to follow orders." He explained.

"The real question is… who are you?" Huntress asked, eying Raven through her mask.

The young sorceress nodded. "I'm Raven… I just joined the League a week ago."

The older woman snorted. "Trust me… after a while, it gets sickening. You have to follow League Policy, and are bound to obey the bosses. I violated policy once or twice and they gave me the boot."

Turning around, Raven decided to leave the two unstable heroes alone. As her footsteps died away, Huntress turned back to the Question. "So… why are you so interested in her anyway?"

He couldn't help but smile behind his mask. "Is someone jealous?"

"Crackpot…" she spat slapping him across the face. "I just want to know what you think you're doing."

"She was a mysterious young lady… so I decided to get to know more. Simple curiosity." He answered her.

Huntress raised an eyebrow. "Really… most people would call it being nosy. Do you have to research everything and everyone that seems even mildly suspicious?"

Question nodded. "Indeed… One can never know the answer if one doesn't ask the question."

The female superhero laughed at him. "Oh man… I'm starting to agree with Green Arrow. You really do need to get a new line."

The faceless hero shrugged. "If it works… why change it. Speaking of questions… what are you doing here anyway?"

"I thought tonight was our dinner date." She replied, looking slightly irritated by his lack of affection.

Question looked slightly surprised. "It's tonight? I'm sorry, but I have to…"

Before he could answer, she seized him by the wrist. "Oh no you don't. Not this time." she replied bossily. Pulling him to his feet, she marched the masked man out the door. "C'mon baby, relax for a change." she said, flashing him a seducing smile.

"Tough love…" he muttered to himself, struggling to keep up with her. As he followed her, the Question couldn't help but blush slightly behind his mask.

As he followed her, they attracted the attention of other heroes and some of the personnel. As they passed Raven, the young sorceress laughed inwardly to herself at the sight. The crazy conspiracy buff being led around by the Huntress. "Odd couple." she muttered to herself. "Yup... I'm starting to think they're both crazy."

NOTE TO READERS: Yeah I know, not much going on right now in the story, I'm sorry for the boring conversations. Thanks for the continued reviews. Keep them coming. By the way, the action should pick up next chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Demonic Rage **

DISCLAIMER: I do not own and DC characters or logos.

After the events of last week, Raven had finally returned to Doctor Fate's tower to get some rest. It felt nice to relax for a change and get back to her studies. Despite the fact that she was already a talented spell caster, she still had much to learn. Of course, there really wasn't much else for her to do around here anyway. Ever since the Titans split up, she never seemed to have any fun. The Teen Titans had been friends, but being a member of the Justice League was more like an actual job. Although she would never admit it out loud, Raven was beginning to wonder if what Huntress had made a valid point.

Settling herself into an armchair, the young sorceress cracked open another one of Doctor Fate's books. Despite how much she had learned she just couldn't quite get the hang of Doctor Fate's teleportation spell. While she had the ability to transport matter through darkness, it was an entirely different method. Her chaos magic had its limitations, but this new spell would allow her to teleport from one end of the galaxy to the other. The reason it was so difficult for her to perform was because Doctor Fate's magic was so different from hers. If only she could master this new spell, she wouldn't have to get her molecules moved whenever she entered or left the Watchtower during missions.

Sitting back onto the chair, she began to focus her magical aura, attempting to teleport back to her chamber. Despite her effort, she began to feel a slight strain. Sighing in annoyance, she refocused her energy and decided to try again.

The android Amazo watched Raven with curiosity from his spot on the couch, looking slightly amused by her actions. "How about you take a break? Want to play a game?" he asked, moving the chess pieces onto the board with his mind.

"Fine…" The young sorceress replied with a nod. Levitating into the air, she glided a few feet before landing into the chair opposite him.

The android gave a hoarse laugh. "I'm hoping for a challenge… Aquaman hasn't been able to give me a decent game yet."

"We'll see about that…" she said, using her mental powers to move her pawn forward.

The game continued in silence. Neither of them spoke as they moved their pieces across the board. It was an interesting sight to behold. Considering that both of them had mental powers, neither of them even touched their game pieces. The game continued for a while.

"Checkmate." Amazo declared, moving his knight forward. Raven was slightly shocked at the outcome. Back at Titans Tower, no one had ever beaten her at chess, except for Dick Grayson, but she did win the vast majority of the time. The young sorceress surveyed the board over and over again, but her king was completely trapped.

"Wow… good job." She commented, looking slightly impressed by the android's vast intelligence.

"Thank you." He replied. "You were more of a challenge than Aquaman. I believe you lasted ten more moves than his best record. So… new game?" he asked.

Before she could answer, Doctor Fate phased into the room. "Excuse me… but I need you for a moment." He said, gesturing towards Raven. "Could we have some privacy?" The android nodded before disappearing in a flash of light. After he had gone, Fate turned back towards his student, motioning for her to sit back down.

Dropping back into her seat, Raven wasn't sure what exactly was going on. "I don't mean to be rude, but… what's going on?"

Fate looked down before sitting across from her where the android had been moments before. He seemed to be wondering about something. After a moment, he decided it was best to try it. "I believe your body had a reaction to your father's crystal." He began, receiving a nod from his student. "If what you told me is correct… then this could be a problem."

Raven cocked an eyebrow, wondering what his basis for saying this was. "It only happened when I channeled my power through the crystal… if I don't do it, things should be fine."

Doctor Fate shook his head, looking unsure. "I'm not entirely sure about that… When I sealed your demonic rage with my spell, I had to forcibly sever your energy from the crystal's chaotic magic."

"Then what do you want to do now?" she asked.

"It is a simple matter, but first allow me to explain my theory." He said, earning a nod from his student.

"Now… if what you've told me is true, then you were supposedly purified of Trigon's taint after you reversed his power against him and killed him. But as you already know, that crystal contains some of his power. When you touched it, you had a violent reaction… as if the demonic power from your father was channeling through your body. It is from this event that I base my theory. I believe the crystal's energy may have left traces of Trigon's dark magic within you." He explained.

"Why would it?" she asked, trying to hide the twinge of fear that coursed through her body.

Fate nodded. "You told you me your original purpose in life was to act as a portal to this world so that your father could pass into the human realm. Therefore, your body is a familiar host for Trigon's power, and as such, you may have retained some of the crystal's energy."

Raven looked slightly bothered by the idea. "Is there anyway to be sure?"

"Indeed… that is why I am here right now. I will place your body in a trance, and probe the depths of your mind. By doing this, we will be able to tell if any trace of your father has entered your body." He explained. "Now… relax for a moment."

Closing her eyes, she begun to meditate, she begun to clear her mind of unnecessary thoughts. As she entered her trance, Doctor Fate placed a finger between her eyes. Focusing his own energies, he begun to see the inside of her mind. Searching the depths of her consciousness, he saw shadow, with a small light guiding her way. As he looked into the light, Fate could see images of her friends. Understanding the significance of this occurrence, Fate continued probing deeper into her mind.

After a few moments of viewing her subconscious mind, his spiritual form landed on a strange pathway, leading into a ghastly abyss. Birdlike creatures flocked around, attempting to claw at his body as the darkness threatened to swallow his form. Feeling the strange aura, Fate cast a protective spell over his astral body, preventing the darkness from touching him. Were it not for his great magical abilities, he may have become lost in the abyss. Moving forward to investigate, the search led him to a malevolent presence. Looking around this part of her mind, Doctor Fate saw a young lady. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was Raven.

Fate watched in fascination as she turned toward him. While the young woman resembled Raven, she wore a blood-red cloak, and had four glowing red eyes.

"GET OUT!" she barked in a savage tone that he had never heard Raven use. Shadows covered her body, parting to reveal the form of Trigon.

Fate looked amused at the sight of this specter. "Despite how much you wish to return to the physical plane of existence… you are nothing more than a memory. Be gone!" he shouted, sending wave of energy at the foul demon.

"NEVER!" the beast shouted, roaring with rage. "I WILL NOT CEASE TO EXIST!" Charging his own powers, Trigon's form fired beams of energy from its eyes while the beast delivered punishing blows with his fists.

Doctor Fate levitated into the air, projecting a small barrier to protect himself. "Despite your appearance, you are still weak. Even with the crystal's influence… your presence within Raven is little more than a memory."

At this, the demon roared, his attacks becoming more powerful.

"You should not linger here. Now… return to the afterlife." Fate said, releasing a focused amount of telekinetic energy . The spell struck the demon in the eyes, and as he fell backward, his body took the form of the red-clad Raven. The sorceress struggled to her feet, her second pair of eyes having disappeared. Her form slowly vanished, returning to the recesses of Raven's mind.

Fate nodded in her direction. "My work here is done." In a flash of light, he began to see memories of Raven's past swirling around him, but as quickly as it had started, it stopped. Opening his eyes, Doctor Fate's consciousness had returned to his body in the physical world. Turning to his student, he saw that she was still unconscious.

Placing a finger to her forehead, the masked sorcerer began muttering a strange combination of incantations. After a few moments she began to stir, and her eyes fluttered open.

The young sorceress sat up, looking slightly confused. While Raven was used to having complete control over her mind, she could not control what had happened when he had entered her subconscious, nor did she remember what took place within her mind. "What… happened?"

"I entered your mind… and found something unsavory within, but I was able to rid you of it." He answered.

"Am I going to be all right?" she asked.

"Yes… I was correct about Trigon's spirit having left traces in your mind. However, I was able to purge his influence, as well as erase his fury from your subconscious."

"Thank you…" she replied staring at the ground.

Her mentor shook his head, looking slightly downcast. "There is not need for you to be so grateful. It was on my suggestion that you established a connection with the crystal, and therefore it is my fault that you were tainted by Trigon's demonic spirit."

"That's all right. I understand that if I hadn't focused my energy on the crystal, we may never have known its true nature." The young sorceress replied.

"I am pleased that you understand, but I am sorry nevertheless." He answered as he turned to go. "Oh… one more thing."

"What." She asked.

"We have a mission tonight. Batman stumbled onto a plot in Gotham and he believes that it may concern the crystals that someone seeks. Be ready for tonight. We leave at 6:00, and then the operation starts."

"Give me the details." She asked.

Fate nodded. "Batman has organized his team of heroes in Gotham, but J'onn has ordered the two of us to join them. We will be working with some people heroes who are not members of the Justice League." he informed her before disappearing in a flash of light.

As Raven watched the masked spell caster leave the room, she couldn't help but feel an even greater respect for her mentor than before. Having known the original Robin, the young sorceress was also wondering what the rest of Batman's team was like.

NOTE TO READERS: Thank you for your continued support. By the way, I hope this was better than the previous explanatory chapters. My apologies for anyone who was bored. I think the next chapter should be pretty good. Keep reviewing, I may enjoy writing the story, but hearing your opinions often make me want to update the story faster.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Insidious Plot**

DICLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters or logos.

**IN SLADE"S HIDEOUT**

Slade sat alone in his chamber, glaring into the shadows. The room was dark, lit only by the light bulb hanging from the ceiling. The furniture was fairly simple, consisting of a simple bed, and a few chairs, as well as his desk. Many masks lined the dingy chamber in a decorative pattern, and hanging from the walls were his collections of fighting staffs, firearms, and knives.

Despite his calm demeanor, Slade was used to failure from his affiliates. Even so, he had never had such an important mission hanging in the balance. Calculating the odds of success, he knew that the chance of him obtaining the next crystal was 50 at best. Going over the facts over and over again in his head, the masked villain decided that this mission was far too important to rely on scum like the Penguin to get it done. Glancing at the clock that hung on the wall of his chamber, he realized that it was time for another meeting. This was his opportunity to insure the success of his plans.

As he turned to leave, the door of his chamber swung open, revealing the eerie smiles of the Clown Prince of Crime and his insane psychiatrist. "What do you want?" he asked, his tone cold and icy.

Joker grinned even wider, looking even more insane. "Oh come now Slady, you couldn't have forgotten about that little meeting you called tonight."

Slade glared at the clown, his patience thinning. "I am well aware of this and I am heading there right now… Get out!"

"Ooooooo! Someone's a little touchy." he taunted, spraying a blast of seltzer in his face.

Losing his patience with the insane villain, an enraged Slade seized him by the throat, throwing his headfirst into the nearby wall. The Joker stood with his head stuck through the plaster, his legs and arms flailing around in an attempt to free his cranium from the wall.

Gasping in shock, Harley Quinn ran forward to help. Seizing her beloved by his ankles, she made an attempt to free his head from the plaster. "Here we go Mistah J. Nice an easy now." Leaning backwards, the female jester wrenched his head from the inside of the wall, the impact sending her toppling backwards onto the floor with him landing on top of her seconds later.

Pushing his body off of her, the insane psychiatrist turned his head around so they were face to face. "You okay puddin."

"Easy squeezy lemon peesy." The Clown Prince of Crime replied drunkenly before passing out.

Doing her best to support his unconscious form, the female jester dragged her boyfriend's body out the door, mumbling angry threats under her breath.

As the insane couple left, Slade couldn't help but feel a sense of relief at having effectively silenced them for now. Closing the door behind him, he ran down the hallway and entered a much larger chamber than his. The new room was as dimly lit as his own lodgings. A long table spanned nearly the entire length of the floor, and standing around it were the villainous members of his secret organization. Sizing up the villains, the evil mastermind immediately formulated a plan. Behind his mask, a sinister smile appeared.

"I'm sure you're all wondering why I called you here?" he asked the assembled villains.

Captain Cold looked slightly irritated and was the first to respond. "I was robbing a bank… this had better be good Deathstroke." The icy villain shouted, fingering the handle of his freeze blaster.

While the mask hid his facial expressions, Slade was quite amused. "Calm yourself Captain, I called you here to discuss the master plan."

Sinestro cocked an eyebrow. "I don't mean any disrespect, but after the stunts pulled by Luthor and Grodd, I'm still skeptical of what your going to do with the power you desire."

"You will know soon enough. All in good time." The masked villain replied nonchalantly. "As for our current endeavors taking place tonight, I believe that some insurance is necessary."

At this Toyman stepped out of the crowd of villains, wearing his plastic mask. "What kind of insurance." The insane toy maker asked.

"I mean that we need to do something about the shipment tonight from Gotham." Slade declared, looking for the group's reaction. Joker stirred from his unconscious state, wondering what he had missed, but the rest of the group still looked skeptical.

Seeing the lack of interest, Slade decided to elaborate. "I have a plan to send some of you as reinforcements in case Penguin's second string villains are found and defeated by the Justice League before they can deliver the crystal and that shipment of weapons that we requested."

A murmur of agreement spread through the crowd. "Who do you plan on sending?" Star Sapphire asked, looking slightly unsure of the plan.

Slade smiled behind his mask. "Well my dear… I thought you would never ask…"

**WITH RAVEN**

Raven stood beside her mentor, preparing for the next mission. While the atmosphere was similar to last time, she felt much more confident in herself. Sure some of the villains she had met recently were stronger than those she had fought during her days as a Teen Titan, but she had become more powerful since then. Under Doctor Fate's tutelage, she had learned a lot more about magic then she had before. Although she had yet to completely master it, he had taught her how to manipulate the flow of energy to formulate her own original spells.

She turned towards her mentor. "So… when do we leave?"

Doctor Fate looked down at his student. "You leave in a few moments… but I will not be going with you."

She looked slightly disappointed. "If you're not coming, then who's going to accompany me?" Raven asked sounding slightly confused.

As she said this, an understanding expression appeared on the Martian's face. "There is no need for us to answer that. I believe that you know them well." He said, as the doors to the main control room slid open. Raven stood awestruck as Cyborg entered, followed by Starfire.

"Booyah!" Cyborg declared as he stood beside Raven. "Hey Rae… Surprised to see us?"

Starfire glided over to her friends, looking ecstatic. "Friends… it has been such a large period of time since we have been together on a mission." She declared flamboyantly to the entire room.

Doctor Fate smiled beneath his helmet. "I believe its time that I take my leave." He said before vanishing in a flash of light.

As Fate made his departure known, J'onn decided that it was time for them to leave as well. "Save the reunion for later… I've set the teleporter for Gotham City… good luck."

Raven nodded as she fazed her friends through the window leading to the transporter. Levitating Cyborg's body, she set him down beside Starfire, before landing next to them on the machine. Receiving a nod from the personnel operating the transporter, they disappeared in a flash of light.

**IN GOTHAM**

Batman was never the kind of man to be late, glancing at his watch, the Caped Crusader decided that it was best to go on ahead and wait for the League to arrive. Signaling his companions, the Dark Knight led them down a secret passage out of the Batcave.

It was a dark night and the streets were completely empty except for the occasional bystander. Swinging from roof to roof, Batman glanced backwards to see if his companions were able to keep up. Upon finally reaching the harbor, the trio stopped for a moment, as if expecting someone. Barbara, not used to the Justice League's transporter, jumped as Raven and her companions materialized next to them.

Starfire leapt forward, seizing Tim Drake in her bone-crushing hug. "ROBIN. It has been so long." She shouted. "Oh… have you s shrunk?" she asked. Taking a better look at him, she became confused. Unable to speak due to the intensity of her grip, the boy wonder started coughing. Noticing the result of her strength, the Tamaranian released him.

Robin staggered backwards, attempting to regain his breath. "Sorry lady, I think you got the wrong guy."

The group had a variety of different responses. Cyborg burst out laughing, while Raven just gave a small nod, looking slightly amused by her reaction. "He's right Starfire. Don't you remember that Dick Grayson renamed himself Nightwing?"

Starfire blushed at the realization. "My apologies. I believed you to be an old friend." She replied, giving him a nervous laugh. "Forgive me… but the clothes that you are wearing closely resembles that of what Dick used to wear."

Tim Drake laughed too. "Yeah… I've been told that before. Don't worry about it… just please... don't do that again. I prefer my body in one piece."

"Quiet… someone's coming." Batman said, seizing Robin by the shoulder and pulling him behind a nearby building. Barbara followed Raven and the former Titans as the four of them joined Batman.

The group sat in silence for a few moments, none of them saying a word. "We move on my signal." Batman commanded as her peered around the corner.

Several men stationed themselves on the deck of Penguin's cargo ship, each of them holding what appeared to be umbrellas.

"Heh… a bunch of weirdoes packin parasols, I can take em." Cyborg said. The metallic hero readied his energy cannon, but was stopped by Batman. "Not yet… don't give away our position." he warned.

Cyborg nodded as recalibrated his energy cannon back into his arm.

"Because those so-called umbrellas are actually missile launchers." Batgirl replied, interrupting her mentor before he could answer.

As Batgirl started to explain Penguin's weapons to the former Titans, the Dark Knight continued to watch the guards on board the deck. "I can't see an opening."

Raven used a nonverbal variation of magic, creating a veil of magic that covered the entire group. "No need to worry. I used a spell to cast an invisible barrier around us. Now all we have to do is hurry and get aboard that ship."

Batman nodded. "Nice work… Let's go." His words were met with immediate action, as the group of heroes followed after the Caped Crusader. Raven flew overhead, working to keep the focus of her spell over everyone in the group as well as herself. Levitating the crew onto the ship, she started to feel the mental strain. Manipulating such a large barrier was difficult on the mind, especially since Doctor Fate's spells were so specific, as compared to her own magic, which was often much less precise.

"I'm going to release the spell once we get inside." She warned, earning a collective nod from the rest of the group.

As the group entered the storage compartment, the magical veil disappeared.

"Split up." Batman ordered the rest of the group. "Avoid conflict with the guards unless absolutely necessary. If you find anything interesting, inform the rest of us." As he finished, the group began to break apart. Batman went in one direction with Robin, Raven headed off with Starfire, and Batgirl followed Cyborg.

Raven floated around, using her magic to search the large storeroom. The boxes were loaded with weapons and building materials, but she could find no sign of the crystal or anything like it.

"Raven… have you found anything." Starfire asked in a hushed tone.

"No… stay quiet so I can concentrate." She answered, glancing at an antique mirror hanging on the wall. Little did she know, they were being watched.

**MEANWHILE **

On the top cabin of the ship, a small group of villains sat in wait.

"Not a sign o' them little duckies." Mad Mod said as he steered the boat out to sea. "But when we see em, Captain Moddie's got a few tricks up his sleeve." He informed, receiving irritated groans from his fellow villains.

"Oh please shut up. Your not even British so stop using the phony accent. It hurts my ears more than my sonic blaster." Sonar replied.

"Are you pickin a fight. Perhaps we can take this outside, like good English men." Mod retorted, changing the side of his staff into a sword.

Sonar laughed at his adversary. "I thought you'd never ask." He answered, drawing his sonic blaster from its holder. "This'll be fun."

The two villains glared at each other, but before either of them could attack, Bane seized Mod by the wrists. Sonar tried taking advantage of his opponent's inability to move and pulled the trigger of his weapon. As the blast hit the wall, he realized that someone had ruined his shot. Glancing back over he shoulder, he realized that the Riddler must have seized him in the wrist with his cane, ruining his shot.

"That's enough you uncivilized brutes." Riddler warned, pulling back the end of his staff. "We have a job to do, and Penguin's not going to pay us squat if you buffoons ruin the operation."

As he finished speaking, the boat jerked off course, sending the villains flying against the right wall of the cabin. Livewire let out a nervous laugh as she jerked the steering wheel to the left to remedy the error. Finally, she was able to stabilize the boat.

"What in blazes was that?" Mad Mod asked, poking the electric villain with the end of his cane.

Livewire gave a small pout, pretending to be hurt, before her expression changed to one of annoyance. "Well, someone had to drive while you were acting like a moron."

"See here missy…" the psychedelic villain shouted, but before he could finish, he was cut off by the appearance of new arrival. Mirror Master's image had appeared in the mirror on the wall. Moving forward, the villain leapt through the glass as if it were an open window.

"I hate to interrupt this little party, but we got company." Mirror Master warned. "The Justice League sent their dogs out."

"Who is it sweet cakes?" Livewire questioned, looking genuinely interested in the idea of getting to fight.

"It's Batman's crew, and some people I don't recognize." He answered.

"Describe them." Bane ordered, crunching his knuckles threateningly.

The mirror manipulator shrugged. "One was half metal, the other had an orange complexion and glowing green eyes, and the third was covered in a blue cloak."

While he couldn't be sure, Mad Mod had his own theory of who those three could be. Grinning widely, the psychedelic villain tried to contain his excitement at the possibility of getting revenge on his old nemeses.

"Let's get going." The mirror villain replied, opening a portal in the nearby mirror.

"Bueno work, Senor Mirror Master. I look forward to giving our little friends a warm welcome." Bane commented, his eyes hungry for revenge, as they leapt into the mirror.

NOTE TO READERS: Thanks for reading. I'm sorry I cut it off here, but I think that the next chapter will be worth waiting for. I decided to make it a more action filled chapter than the last few. Keep reviewing, it motivates me to write the story faster.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Secret of the Mirrors **

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters or logos.

The Justice League continued their search, but from the group's expressions, they were starting to doubt that what they were looking for was even here. Rounding a corner, Raven and Starfire realized that they were unable to locate the crystal. As the two of them reached the center of the room, the other four heroes had already arrived.

Raven looked downcast. "So… any luck?" she asked the group, even though she already knew what to expect. Her question was met with an uneasy silence. Sparing a glance at each of her teammates was enough to give her the answer.

"Maybe the information was wrong." Cyborg suggested, looking to the group for an answer.

"Maybe… but unlikely." Batman replied, taking in his surroundings. "The Question may be a crackpot, but he always finds out what he needs to, even if it kills him. I'm willing to bet that what we're looking for is hidden somewhere else on this ship."

Starfire looked confused. "But in what location could it be?" she asked.

Batman looked slightly puzzled. "Even I'm not really sure, but it's probably hidden somewhere where we probably wouldn't go." He finished. Taking a fighting stance, the Caped Crusader began scanning his surroundings for any sign of unwanted company. "Stay on guard. Someone's here." He whispered to the other members of the group. The others took immediate action at his words. Raven began to scan the area with her magic and Starfire ignited her hands with energy, preparing to launch a volley of star bolts.

An uneasy silence surrounded the group for a few moments. They all stood frozen in their fighting stances, barely breathing. "There!" Batman yelled, pointing towards the mirror on the wall.

With lightning fast agility, Starfire let off a round of star bolts, completely demolishing the nearby mirror.

The room remained silent for a few moments, but Raven's spell had picked up another presence. "The mirror in the crate!" she shouted, shattering it with her chaos magic, but as the dust cleared, a group of super villains stood beside the remaining shards, having been able to escape before it shattered. Standing where the crate had been moments before were Mirror Master, Mad Mod, Bane, Riddler, and Sonar.

Mad Mod smiled menacingly at the sight of his former enemies. "Well… if it isn't the rowdy little snots." He said, leaning on his walking stick. "This time I'll make sure that you brats get what you deserve. This'll be over lickety split."

Raven smiled at the memories. "Don't celebrate before the battle is won." She warned, remembering how lame this guy was.

Losing his patience, Bane dashed forward at Batman's team, scattering the group in different directions. Despite the number of opponents to kill, the masked villain swung wildly at Batman. Weaving around Bane's powerful blows, the Caped Crusader delivered a blow to his opponent's jugular.

Staggering backwards, the masked killer shook of his opponent's attack and ran forward again to rejoin the battle. Taking out a tube of sleeping gas, the Dark Knight tossed it at Bane, rendering him unconscious. On the other side of the room, the other heroes were having their own problems.

Starfire swung wildly at Mad Mod, but despite her valiant attempts to land a hit, the psychedelic villain ducked under her attacks with relative ease. "Now what did I tell ya last time." He taunted her, giving the alien a light tap on the forehead with the end of his staff. Distracted by his antics, the confused Tamaranian glanced around in time to receive a blast from Sonar's sonic ray.

Sonar looked fairly amused as he readied his weapon for another attack. "And now to finish her off." He scoffed. As the red-clad villain pulled the trigger, the alien girl rolled sideways out of the way before flying into the air. Driven by fury, the Tamaranian shot beams of energy from her eyes. She attempted to stun the fleeing villain, but he dove behind a row of crates, sparing him the wrath of her assault. Struggling to his feat, her opponent sent another sonic wave at her, but a large barrier of chaos magic protected her from his blast.

Raven glided forwards to join the fight, retaliating with a blast of her magic combined with Starfire's energy blasts. The combined attack struck the villain in the chest, leaving him unconscious and immobilized on the ground.

The brief reprieve was short lived as Mad Mod rejoined the fray. "I'm not finished with you lot yet." He shouted, pressing the button on his cane. This caused another crate to burst open, releasing mechanical statues of the psychedelic villain.

The tricked-out statues charged forward, firing miniature missiles. Unable to block the flying projectiles, Starfire flew higher into the air, attempting to shake them off. Raven turned to help her friend, but was caught off guard by one of the flying explosives. The impact of the explosion sent her flying backwards into a wall, rendering her unconscious.

Seeing his friends in danger, Cyborg dashed forward, smashing the statues of Mod as he ran. Aiming his cannon at the villain, he prepared to fire. Screaming in agony, Cyborg toppled to the floor, unable to move.

Standing behind him was the electronic villain, Livewire. She wore a sickening grin as she watched her prey scream in pain. "Sorry bub… but I think its time to take a little nap." She said. Reaching down, she rendered him unconscious with a large surge of electricity. Before she could say anything else, the electric villain was forced to move aside, as Batman sent the Riddler's unconscious body flying in her direction. Running at the Dark Knight to attack him, Livewire was ensnared by a giant sheet of rubber fired from one of Batman's gadgets.

"Let me out! You lousy, rotten, son of a…" she began, but was hit on the head by flying debris before she could finish her sentence.

"Jolly good fun, eh my duckies?" Mod asked, pressing the top of his cane again. At this, multiple hypno-screens burst from the walls of the storage room.

Thinking quickly, Batgirl tossed a volley of batterangs into the air, shattering the hypnosis inducing machines and intercepting the pair of missiles pursuing Starfire. Rejoining the battle, she ran to help Robin fight Mirror Master. Releasing more projectiles, the two sidekicks attempted to hit the slippery villain, but he leapt through the mirror to escape.

Having regained consciousness, Raven saw and opportunity, and held the portal open with her magic, allowing her to enter the portal. Batgirl made a mad dash towards the mirror, following her through the portal.

"Well well… heroes never cease to amuse me." The voice of the mirror-themed villain echoed. "May you wander forever in the depths of the mirror world."

Surveying her surroundings, all that Barbara could see were hundreds, maybe even thousands of mirror portals. Walking forward, she stepped through one mirror, only to appear out of another portal in the mirror world. As she moved forward, Batgirl saw a strange glint coming from one of the mirrors. "What's that?" she asked, sounding bewildered.

Raven attempted to enter the strange mirror, but the reflected surface would not allow her to go any farther. "I'm not sure what it is… but whatever it is doesn't want anyone going in."

Being stubborn as ever, Batgirl charged full-pelt into the mirror. Upon feeling the impact side she staggered backwards in pain, rubbing the side of head.

The young sorceress wasn't sure how to react to this. Despite the foolishness that Barbara had just shown, her thick-headedness reminded Raven of how Dick Grayson used to be. "Let me try." She asked, earning a small nod from Batgirl. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" she chanted, focusing her magic on the mirror. After a moment, the surface of the mirror began to glow. A strange substance coated on the surface of the mirror, fell away and shattered like glass, allowing them entry.

As she entered the space behind the mirror, Raven felt a strange. Glaring through the darkness, she caught sight what they had been looking for. The Crystal sat atop the pedestal, giving off an unnatural light.

"Looks like Batman was right." Barbara stated, as she picked the jewel off of its pedestal.

The young sorceress eyed the crystal for a moment, before realizing that it was best that she let Batgirl handle it. Gathering her magical energy, Raven opened a portal back to where they had first entered. "Step through here." She said. While Batgirl looked unsure of what to do, she eventually decided to trust the young sorceress.

Stepping forward into the vortex of swirling shadows, the two of them reappeared in the middle of the storage room aboard Penguin's cargo ship. Stepping out of the darkness, the two female heroes jumped out to rejoin the fray. Looking around the room, it seemed to be over. Despite the fact that they had only been gone for ten minutes, it appeared that they had won. The villains as well as a few of the guards from the upper decks had been thoroughly defeated. Livewire lay squirming on the floor, Mirror Master was trapped in the shards of one of his broken mirrors, Bane was unconscious on the floor, and Riddler, Sonar and Mad Mod were handcuffed and bound like prisoners.

Barbara rushed over to her mentor, holding the crystal in her outstretched hand.

"Good job you two." Batman said. "We should get these guys back to the…" Before he could finish the sentence, a vortex appeared, pulling the defeated villains through it like a giant vacuum cleaner. Raven attempted to stop the portal, but was forced to defend herself as a heat-seeking missile came flying through the vortex.

"Raven… do you know what's going on?" he asked as the portal closed.

"No…" she replied, looking worried.

Starfire glided forward, looking confused. "Are they gone forever?" she asked.

"I doubt it." Batman replied. "My theory is that they were transported somewhere… but where?"

His question was met with mutual confusion from the other members of the group. Looking resolute, Batman turned his back to the surrounding heroes. "Let's go." He ordered.

Not wanting to wait, the group of heroes followed him up the stairs. Pressing a button on his utility belt, the Dark Knight's Batmobile flew out of the nearby ocean and through the air, landing beside the ship. As they emerged on the deck, Raven raised a barrier to block an onslaught of bullets, fired by the few remaining guards. Waving her hands around in a forbidding gesture, Raven sent the enemy weapons flying into the ocean.

"Take us back to Gotham." Batman said, as he finished restraining the remaining guards. Starfire retrieved the anchor from the ocean while, Cyborg steered the boat from the top cabin. After a pleasant trip, the League found themselves back in the harbor in Gotham.

"That was interesting…" Raven replied.

Cyborg simply laughed. "Really… if that's interesting, than maybe I'll take Watchtower duty this week."

Stepping off the boat, Batman took out his communicator.

"J'onn, beam us up." After a few moments of silence he attempted to contact the Watchtower again. "Hey my communicator's not working. Can anyone get a signal?"

The other members of the League tried their own communicators, but after a few attempts, they realized that there was something wrong.

Putting away his communicator, Batman became weary of the situation. "This isn't right… If none of us can use any communication devices, than I'm betting that we're being jammed by an outside source."

Robin's eyes widened. "So… that would mean that someone might have expected us to come back here."

"Stay alert." Raven said, looking slightly nervous. "I'm guessing that we ran right into…"

"A trap!" Cyborg cut in before she could complete her sentence.

"Indeed." Someone answered from nearby. Everyone turned to find the source of the voice. The door of the nearby warehouse creaked open, and a group of villains emerged led by a man who appeared to be half man, half metal. Following him were Atomic Skull, Plasmus, Mr. Freeze, Killer Moth, and Giganta.

Metallo grinned sadistically, his eye glowing brightly in the dark night. "I believe you have something that belongs to us. Hand it over now… or die." He ordered, ripping the synthetic skin covering his arm, revealing his mechanical limb underneath. The villains behind him laughed in sickening tones as they readied themselves for the fight ahead.

NOTE TO READERS: Thanks for reading the chapter, sorry for the cliffhanger. Please review, like I said earlier, it motivates me to write the story faster. I also want to thank people for the encouragement, and the constructice criticism.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Return of an Old Friend **

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC character or logos.

Metallo stepped forward with malicious look in his eyes. "Well… are you going to hand over the rock, or do we have to kill you?" he asked.

Batman stepped forward to give the answer, but before he could say anything, he fell to his knees. Clutching his arm, he felt waves of pain coursing through it. It was just now that the Caped Crusader realized how badly Bane and the Riddler had injured him during the last battle.

The metal villain gave a sickening laugh as he watched Batman's pain. "What's the matter, too weak to say anything?" he said, earning some laughs from the other villains. "Well… that's just too bad."

Barbara and Tim rushed forward to help, but Batman raised his hand in objection. "It doesn't matter…" the Dark Knight replied, as he got to his feet. "Prepare yourselves." He warned the group of heroes standing behind him.

The villains became tense as they prepared to attack. "Let's just kill them!" Atomic Skull suggested, his body igniting with green energy. His statement was met with immediate action as the villains charged forward to attack. "Remember… we need that crystal!" Metallo shouted to the unruly pack of villains.

Dashing forward, Atomic Skull roared in anger, firing off a round of energy blasts at the blue-clad sorceress. Raven retaliated quickly, creating a barrier to protect herself from his assault. Dodging his blows, the young sorceress came up with a plan. Glancing in Starfire's direction, the Tamaranian nodded. Acting fast, Raven veered sideways, allowing Starfire to deliver the blow. The villain flew ten feet in the air and smashed headfirst into a brick wall.

A few yards away, an injured Batman was battling with an enraged Mr. Freeze. Despite how many times the icy villain fired his freeze rays, the Dark Knight continued to dodge each blast. Raven watched for a few moments, noticing how determined Batman was. Seeing this helped her realize why the stubborn man was considered one of the world's greatest heroes.

Dodging another blast, the Caped Crusader tossed on his own projectiles, effectively disarming Mr. Freeze. Moving forward to finish his opponent, Batman was forced to move backwards as the icy villain drew out his second freeze gun. Batgirl and Robin ran forward to help him, but instead they found themselves face-to-face with the giant monster, Plasmus.

The beast extended its gooey arms, seizing hold of the young heroes. Despite how much they struggled, they were no match for the creature's monstrous strength.

Charging forward, Cyborg shot a blast from his energy cannon, liquefying the creatures form long enough for them to escape. "Booyah!" he shouted as he helped Barbara pull Robin out of the gelatinous mess. In a matter of seconds, the creature had reformed itself.

"Booyah denied." Robin muttered, as the creature swung its newly formed arms at them. Dodging the creature's slimy appendages, the three heroes scattered from his attack. Seeing her chance, Raven stood between Cyborg and the beast. Batgirl watched in astonishment as the young sorceress called forth her spirit. Flying forward, her spiritual form flew into Plasmus's gelatinous body. As the dark specter rejoined Raven's body, the beast collapsed helplessly onto the ground, changing back into human form.

Atomic Skull struggled to his feet, unleashing multiple blasts of green energy at the four young heroes. Cyborg dove to safety, while Raven levitated into the air. While the two Titans were able to get clear of the attack, the other two weren't so lucky. Fearing the worst, Batgirl moved protectively in front of Robin, taking the worst of the attack. Struck by the full force of the assault, Barbara went flying into a nearby building. Robin's form fell motionlessly onto the ground as the impact of the green energy singed his clothes. Batgirl attempted to rejoin the battle, but toppled over, landing on the cold ground. It was as if her legs had given out under her body weight. Despite her best efforts to stand, Barbara's legs were too badly injured from the impact. Looking down, she saw the crystal fall from her pocket.

In a frenzied rage, Starfire darted forward with incredible speed, pummeling Atomic Skull repeatedly with her fists. Moving forward to deliver the final knockout, the young Tamaranian found her fist unable to make contact. Feeling the cold metal on her arm, she turned around to find that the android had seized her by the arm. The young alien felt a twinge of fear as she caught sight of his face. Half of it was metal, and the other side appeared to be covered in synthetic flesh. Screaming in fear, the young Tamaranian attempted to break free from his grip, but he was much stronger than she had expected.

"Well my dear… something tells me that you're life is about to come to an end. I was hoping to kill Superman, but I guess I'll have to settle for you." Metallo said to her, a maniacal grin on his face. In one fluid movement, the hideous android swung her body over his shoulder. Sending her headfirst into the ground.

Able to seize control her powers, Starfire turned over in mid fall and flew into the air to avoid getting ensnared in his robotic grip. Summoning her righteous fury, the young Tamaranian blasted him with her star bolts, watching them explode on impact. As the billowing clouds of smoke from the explosion cleared, she saw his metal body lying motionless on the ground. To her surprise the monstrosity stood up. Although one of his arms was giving off sparks, he was relatively unscathed.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Metallo bellowed, ripping off the offending limb. Leaping into the air, he used his remaining arm to plant a metal fist directly into her stomach. The impact of the blow sent the young alien sailing uncontrollably through the air.

Starfire struggled to control her path of flight, but a giant hand swatted her through the air, sending her hurtling into the concrete. Staring up at her attacker, she could see Giganta's fist coming down at her. Cyborg charged forward to help, but was tackled to the ground by Killer Moth. Closing her eyes the young alien braced herself for the impact.

Opening her eyes, Starfire saw Giganta clutching her burned fist, pulling metal implements out of her skin. Seeing something flying through the night, the young Tamaranian strained her eyes to get a better look. Whoever it was had just saved her from a trip to the hospital. The figure soared through the air like a dark shadow, sending a wave of birdarangs at Mr. Freeze. This action diverted the icy villain's attention, allowing Batman to knock him senseless with a projectile filled with knockout gas.

Starfire eyed the new figure as he landed a few feet from her. Although his appearance had changed, she was sure it was him.

"Hey Batman… its been awhile." He said to his former mentor.

The Dark Knight had a gruff expression on his face as he eyed the new arrival. "It's about time you showed up… Nightwing."

Seeing the looks on the faces of his former teammates, Nightwing could tell that they were shocked to see him. The moment was brief, as Giganta and Killer Moth charged forward to attack again.

Increasing his muscle capacity to 120 Cyborg ran full pelt at the insect-themed villain, cracking him upside the head with renewed vigor. Killer Moth staggered back, falling to the ground with a thud.

Raven floated forward focusing her powers on the large villain, restraining Giganta with her magical energy.

An insane laugh echoed through the night, catching everyone's attention. Metallo looked around triumphantly, the crystal clutched firmly in his remaining hand. Leaping forward, Nightwing unleashed a volley of birdarangs, but the metallic villain swatted them away like toys. "Giganta… we've got what we came for. Pick up the trash and let's go." He ordered.

The Gigantic Woman struggled for a moment, before breaking free of her magical bonds, sending Raven flying through the air like a discarded tissue. Charging forward, Giganta picked up the bodies of the fallen super villains. The remaining heroes surrounded her, but she charged forward with a roar of fury. The assembled heroes scattered from her reach as she dashed in the other direction. Rejoining the triumphant Metallo, a vortex opened, pulling them in. Batman and Nightwing ran full-pelt towards the closing portal, but it vanished before they could reach it.

"Damn…" Batman shouted, planting his fist into ground.

Nightwing eyed his former mentor, looking slightly amused. "Well… looks like some of us haven't changed at all." He said to the Caped Crusader.

The Dark Knight gave no sign of outward aggression. "You're one to talk. Despite having changed your costume, you're as reckless as ever." He retaliated to his former sidekick. The two glared at each other for a few moments, before Nightwing turned his back on the older hero.

Turning to his former teammates, Dick Grayson couldn't help but smile. "So… it's been a long time." He said to them. Before he could say anything else, they had run over to see him.

Cyborg smiled widely, holding out his hand to his former leader. "Great to have you back buddy." He said.

"Good to see you guys again." He replied, shaking Cyborg's hand. The former leader of the Teen Titans returned a shadow of a smile. While the two had always had their differences, they were still good friends. Eyeing the two girls, Nightwing could tell that Raven's rare smile that she was doing fine, but Starfire looked away from him, refusing to meet his eyes.

Before he could say anything, Batman stepped between him and the former Titans. "We should get back to the Watchtower. Are you coming with us?" he asked. Nightwing looked hesitant, but nodded as he caught sight of Barbara and Tim's unconscious bodies.

With the villains gone, Batman was able to establish contact with the Martian. In a flash of light, the entire group reappeared on the Watchtower's transporters. The team of heroes was greeted by a large number of personnel as well as their fellow heroes.

Two medics seized Batgirl and Robin, taking them away on stretchers to the emergency rooms for treatment. Nightwing watched them leave, looking concerned. Batman approached the former Titans. "I have to file a mission report. The rest of you should get some rest." He added before exiting the room.

Nightwing eyed the rest of his former team. Not being a member of the Justice League, he wasn't sure where to go. As if anticipating this, Raven walked forward towards the door. "Follow me." She said the group.

Following the young sorceress, Nightwing was rather impressed by the Watchtower's facilities. Entering through the nearby door, Raven led the group to a large room filled with tables. The cafeteria was empty this late at night, giving the former Titans a place to speak in private. Pulling up some chairs, the team sat down.

"So… where have you been all this time?" Cyborg asked.

Nightwing shook his head. "That's not something you need to know, but I'll tell you this much. I went off to find my own place in the world like I had been doing before we met in Jump City."

Raven looked slightly concerned at the idea. "I know how you feel… But didn't you enjoy being a part of the team?"

"Yes… I did. But do you remember what I said to you guys that night we met?" he asked the group.

Cyborg nodded. "Yeah, you told Beast Boy that you weren't planning on joining any teams."

Dick Grayson nodded. "Exactly… we had some good times in the Titans, but I didn't quite get a chance to find my own place in the world."

The young sorceress nodded in agreement, looking downcast. "Still… how come you told Batman where you were but not the rest of us."

"He knew because… I returned to Gotham for a while and helped him out a few times. Granted, I left to find my own territory afterwards." He said to them.

His answer earned a few nods from the others, but as he glanced across the table, he realized that the Tamaranian hadn't said a word to him this entire time. "Star… you okay." He asked, looking concerned for his former teammate.

"Humph…" she replied. Turning her back to him, the Tamaranian Princess left the room without so much as a glance backward.

Nightwing gave a confused look to his teammates. "What's with her?" he asked.

Cyborg looked slightly irritated at his former leader's question. "Dude, you really haven't changed that much have you? Starfire was the one most hurt by your disappearance." He said.

At this, the former boy wonder looked towards the floor. "We had something after what happened in Tokyo… but I guess I wasn't thinking about her when I left."

Raven walked forward, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I guess you didn't realize how much you leaving would destroy the team." She said. "After you became Nightwing and left Jump City, the team fell apart."

"Maybe I should have foreseen the consequences of my actions." He said, looking up at Cyborg and Raven.

"Yeah… or maybe you should just apologize to Starfire." The young sorceress added. "She cared about you… maybe even loved you. Did you ever consider the consequences of what you were doing… we were a team. I thought I had finally found happiness, and then the team split apart. Maybe I was able to adjust, but I doubt Starfire was as lucky."

"What do you mean?" Dick Grayson asked.

She nodded again. "Did you know that after her return to Tamaran, Starfire fought a war against her Sister? Although they won, it cost them many lives." Raven said. "She came back to Earth, looking for some support from the person she had cared for the most, and she didn't get it. The team had split apart, and we had left Jump City." She finished.

Nightwing nodded. "Maybe Batman and I aren't so different after all. I worked so hard to escape his shadow, but in the end I guess I wasn't much better. He was a controlling rich boy who pushed people away, and I guess I've made some mistakes like that too." He said to them.

"It's alright… but we aren't the ones you gotta talk to right now." Cyborg added.

Raven nodded in response. "Exactly… you didn't know that the team would fall apart without you. Just concentrate on what you need to do now. You need to talk to Starfire." She said.

Disk Grayson nodded, as he rose to leave the room. "Thanks guys. I guess when I left the Titans, I left a part of myself behind." With that said, he followed after the Tamaranian. As he walked down the dimly lit hallways, the hero remembered his brief relationship with Barbara. Maybe he should have learned from that experience. Shaking the thought from his head, the former Titan realized that this was going to be harder than he thought.

NOTE TO READERS: Thanks for the reviews, keep them coming, it really motivates me top write faster, and I am serious about that. It's really good to hear that people are enjoying your story, or have constructive criticism for you.

PS: Don't expect too much more romance outside this chapter and the next. While I like to include some emotion, and while it is part of the story, I am not really a romantic writer. Its not really the focus of the story, but I hope that someone enjoyed it. You'll also notice that Raven is losing the spotlight for a while, but she'll get it back soon. After all... the story is mostly about her and her father's crystals.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Broken Bonds **

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters or logos.

After leaving her friends, the Tamaranian had begun to wander the corridors. It was a lonely time for her, having been abandoned by the person she had cared most for, only to meet him again four years later. On top of that, the former boy wonder hadn't even extended a single apology. While Starfire was no expert on Earth's customs, she was sure from past experiences that such treatment was considered rude. Bringing her thoughts back to the present, the alien princess began to realize how far she had gone while lost in thought.

Staring up the nearby corridor, she headed towards the light ahead. Peering into the room, she caught sight of the couches and plasma screen television on the wall. Remembering where she was, the young Tamaranian sat down and tried to rid herself of the anger and bitterness that she was feeling. Feeling the anger bubbling in her chest, Starfire lost control of her powers, sending energy from her eyes. The beam shot clean through the nearby wall, leaving a burned hole where the blast had hit.

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, the young alien jumped in surprise. Spinning around in alarm, she took a fighting stance, her eyes beginning to glow.

"Whoa… take it easy." Shayera said, taking a step back from the startled Tamaranian. "I was just wondering why you were remodeling the walls of the lounge."

Starfire took a deep breath, effectively calming herself for a moment. "You should not have startled me."

"You shouldn't be trying to demolish the room." The Thanagarian hero replied, looking slightly irritated by her lack of consideration. The two glared at each other for a few minutes until Starfire couldn't anymore. "My apologies…" she said, looking downcast.

Hawkgirl's cold expression softened for a moment. "It's fine… You okay kid?"

Starfire looked up at the Thanagarian, holding back the emotional outbursts that threatened to escape. "I am doing well." She replied with an uneasy smile.

Shayera lifted an eyebrow, looking slightly disbelieving. "I'm sorry if I don't buy that." She replied, taking a closer look at the younger hero. "What's wrong?"

The Tamaranian girl stared at the floor fro a few moments before answering. Thinking quickly, the alien girl put on a wide smile. "Nothing is wrong at the present time." She answered, grinning ever wider to emphasize her lie. Unfortunately for her, the older hero still wasn't falling for it, and continued to stare daggers at her.

"Oh, very well…" Starfire answered in defeat. Floating across the room, she landed on the couch. "Perhaps it would be best if I speak to someone… You will not tell anyone of this meeting, will you?" she asked.

"Of course not… It's between you and me." Hawkgirl replied with a nod. "You have my word."

"Thank you." Starfire replied, giving her superior a small smile. "The situation is concerning a man… There are… complications…"

Shayera nodded. "A man huh…"

"Indeed… I am… unsure of how I feel." She answered, looking even more depressed.

The Thanagarian nodded. "I think I know ho you're feeling."

At this, the young Tamaranian's head shot up in surprise.

Shayera smiled at her reaction, considering the younger hero's situation carefully. "Let me guess… You feel like whoever it was betrayed you… and you also believe that you may have done something to push him away in return." She replied.

Starfire thought about this for a moment, considering every aspect of her former relationship. After a few moments, she inclined her head in shame. "How… would you know?"

Hawkgirl looked slightly downcast, as if she too once felt the same pain. After a few moments, the Thanagarian answered. "Well… I know what it's like."

"What do you mean?" Starfire asked with an inflection of curiosity in her voice.

Shayera smiled knowingly. "I too know what its like to be an outsider on Earth. I also know what it's like to find love with a human man… and lose it." The Thanagarian warrior stared towards the floor in silence, the painful memories of her past beginning to resurface. After what she did, only a handful of people between Earth and Thanagar would trust her. She couldn't blame them, sometimes even she hated herself for the things she had done.

"Are you all right?" the curious Tamaranian asked.

Hawkgirl looked up again, turning back to the younger hero. "I'm sorry about that. Now… Tell me, did you do anything to cause the separation?" she asked.

The Tamaranian thought about it again, but couldn't think of anything in particular. "I… don't think so. Perhaps he found me to be an annoyance, or maybe he grew tired of my presence?" Despite her multiple guesses, she felt as if trying to find out the answer was no better than groping in the dark.

The Thanagarian sat back, an understanding look on her face. "Don't overanalyze it." She said. "Just tell me… do you care about each other?"

"Yes…" Starfire answered. "But I do not know if he still sees me as a friend who is a girl."

"You mean girlfriend, right?" Shayera asked.

The Tamaranian Princess looked slightly embarrassed. "Sorry… Despite my time on Earth, I have not still fully grasped the mechanics of the language."

Hawkgirl leaned forward again, looking suddenly serious. "That's not the point I was trying to make. I was just wondering if you still feel the same way about this man."

Starfire said nothing, but a large blush engulfed her orange complexion. Shayera saw her reaction and knew that nothing more needed to be said. "Well… judging by your face I can tell that you feelings haven't changed. If he really means something to you, I suggest you talk to him…"

The young Tamaranian folded her hands, and stared into her lap. Despite how conflicted she felt about the situation, Starfire wasn't sure what to do.

As Shayera left the room, she hoped that the young Tamaranian wouldn't make the same mistake she did.

WITH BATMAN 

"I just don't understand…" Nightwing said to his former mentor. "What should I do."

Batman's expression remained devoid of emotion, but he was a little concerned for his former sidekick. "I'm sorry I can't help you. I'm really not the right person to talk to about this sort of thing."

"You're probably right about that. After all… you never accepted Diana's offer." Dick Grayson replied, a small smile appearing on his face.

Bruce's expression hardened as he glared at the former boy wonder. "You know I don't have time for that. Diana's a beautiful, headstrong woman… but romance within teams almost never works."

Nightwing gave a harsh laugh, looking slightly irritated. He realized that he had struck a nerve. "Yeah… maybe. Or maybe you're just afraid of commitment."

"Leave it be…" The Caped Crusader ordered, his eyes slightly narrowing.

"Fine." Dick Grayson said with a shrug. He wasn't surprised that Batman reacted the way he did. Despite what his former mentor said, Nightwing knew that Bruce Wayne was afraid that people would go after the woman he loved, just to get to him. It was the reason that he had always ended his relationship with every woman he had ever had romantic feeling towards.

Batman's expression changed. "If you need some advice, maybe you should just do what you think would work. Now get out…" the Dark Knight said, gesturing toward the door. "I have some cases to look over and I can't do that with distractions."

Getting to his feet, Nightwing was more than happy to leave the stubborn bat to his work. Walking down the hallway, he realized again that he was a lot like the man whose shadow he had worked so hard to escape. Seeing a light at the end of the hallway, he decided to see if she was there.

**WITH STARFIRE**

Looking up, she realized that Hawkgirl had left. Hearing the sliding doors, she expected to see Shayera, but was surprised to see who it really was. Nightwing stood in the doorway, his long black hair particularly noticeable now that she was alone with him.

"Hey Star… you okay?" he asked, looking genuinely worried about her.

Starfire looked away, attempting to ignore his presence, as he crossed the room. Stepping forward, Nightwing had a slightly awkward expression on his face as he sat down next to her. "Look, I…" he began, but the stubborn alien turned her back to him as she stood up to leave.

His expression became downcast. "I'm sorry." He forced out. Despite his many talents, Dick Grayson had never been great at expressing his feelings. Looking up, he saw that Starfire had frozen in her tracks with her back still turned to him. "I wasn't thinking about anyone else when I left the Titans. I should have… but I can't change the past. I guess I just wanted to make a name for myself so bad that I disregarded my friends." He finished.

Neither of them said anything for a while, it was as if they were both rendered speechless. The silence seemed to drag on forever, neither of them speaking. After a few minutes, Starfire turned around to face her ex-boyfriend. Looking into her eyes, Nightwing was glad to see that her icy expression had softened.

"I am sorry. Perhaps I should have been more understanding of what you wanted." She said, looking into his eyes. "But I wish to know something?"

"What?"

"I wish to know if what happened four years ago really meant anything?" she asked with longing in her eyes.

Nightwing smiled, but hesitated for a moment. "It did… it still does." He said.

With a squeal of delight, the Tamaranian leapt forward into his arms, circling the hero in a bone-crushing hug. Surprisingly, he made no attempt to resist her suffocating hold. Looking into her eyes, he pulled her closer, allowing their lips to meet. After a few moments, the couple separated.

"Nightwing…" she said uneasily. "Are you planning on leaving again?"

The young hero looked hesitant to tell her the truth. Not having the heart to say it, he nodded in response to her question. "I'm sorry… but I don't think it'll be as long this time." He replied. Smiling at her, the former boy wonder pulled a small device out of his pocket and handed it to her. "You can use that to keep in touch." He said.

Starfire grabbed hold of his arm as he turned to leave the room. "Can't you stay here with us? We can both be members of this organization." She implored.

Nightwing gave her a small smile. "I told you, I don't intend to join any team any time soon. I'm already a reserve Leaguer anyway, and that's enough for now." He replied. Seeing the pain on her face, the hero couldn't help but feel guilty about leaving. "I'll be back soon… I promise." He said to her.

Reluctantly, the Tamaranian Princess released his arm as she watched him walk out the door. She sat down looking a little weary from the emotional moment. The young alien wondered if she should've stopped him from leaving. Standing up, she decided to see her beloved off. She flew through the air, landing in the main hanger of the Watchtower just in time to see his form vanish into the light of the transporter.

The two other Titans sat at a table in the cafeteria, their ears pressed against a speaker. Deactivating his bug, Cyborg let out a laugh. "Shame it had to end like that… He didn't even say goodbye to us." The half metal hero said.

Raven shot him a disapproving look. "Be that as it may, do you think that invading their privacy was wrong?" she asked.

He shrugged in response. "We were just looking out for them." He replied. "So Rae, speaking of the Titans, do you miss Beast Boy."

The young sorceress indulged in a rare smile. "Actually, yeah I do."

Cyborg almost fell out of his chair. "Really! Who are you and what've you done to Raven?" he asked mockingly.

Raven smiled again. "Yeah… I never thought that I'd say it either."

NOTE TO READERS: I'm not really a romance writer, so I used some simple material and left it at that. Thanks for the reviews, I'm not kidding when I say that it helps give me the motivation to write more of the story. I'm going back to the main story in next chapter, and I will try to fit Beast Boy in somewhere in this story. Nightwing will ba back to, so don't worry. Keep reviewing.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Expansion of the Legion **

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters of logos.

Slade sat in the chair at a circular table, eying his associates. Despite how irritating most of them were, they all contributed something to the cause and proved to be useful in their own way. The masked villain leaned forward in his chair, eying the cards in his hand. "Three Kings." He declared, showing them to the collection of assorted super villains. Roulette threw her hand down, placing her money on the table. Toyman let out an immature cry and groaned in despair at the loss. Star Sapphire and Sinestro exchanged angry glares but said nothing. Grinning behind his mask, Slade reached forward to take the money that he had won in the poker game.

"Not so fast there, Slady." Joker interjected. "Three Aces! Look's like uncle Joker wins this one. Too bad…" he taunted in a mocking tone.

The masked crime lord grew suspicious as he got to his feet. Striking the Joker's wrist, the other villain's watched as Aces slid out of his sleeves. "Oh c'mon Slady, where's your sense of fun?" the Clown Prince of Crime asked, looking around at his fellow villains.

The masked crime lord shot death glare at Joker from behind his mask. "Scum…" Slade muttered nonchalantly as he snatched the money from the table. "It appears I am the victor."

"Party pooper." Joker stated, as he sat down beside an irate Roulette.

Slade swept the deck of cards from the table with the side of his arm, deciding to get down to business. As he prepared to speak, a sudden knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. The metal door swung open, revealing two new arrivals.

The masked villain eyed them with curiosity. "Ah… I see you have returned."

Metallo grinned as he reached into his pocket. "We have brought what you desired." He informed, crystal giving off an eerie light in his outstretched hand.

Snatching the crystal from the android, Slade held it in his hands. After fingering the artifact for a few moments, the villain grinned behind his mask. "Excellent work. At least you did something right, unlike some people I could mention." He replied, his eyes settling on the Joker for a second.

Giganta groaned at this. "We may have gotten the damn crystal, but I got these bruises as a souvenir. The Justice League did a number on us."

"That is the least of our concerns." the masked villain stated, turning away from the large woman. He paused for a moment, looking over the group of dangerous rogues. "Does anyone have any questions about the plan?"

Leaping out of his chair, Toyman stepped forward. "This better be worth it Deathstroke. So far I'm not having any fun. You promised that we could finally make a scene and destroy the Justice League."

Slade nodded. "That is what the ultimate result will be… but we must be prepared."

The demented toy maker shook his head. "And what makes you think that these crystals can give you the power to combat an army of heroes. Even if we were to combine the power of the Legion, it still may not be enough."

The masked crime lord turned his back on the group of villains for a second. "Trust me… I know this power because I have witnessed it before, and I was even gifted with a small portion of it for a brief period."

Sinestro looked unconvinced. "I'm still skeptical about your master plan. Luthor didn't care about what happened to us, and in the end we were almost destroyed."

His concern earned a nod from Star Sapphire. "Yeah… I've been involved in a lot of teams of super villains, and from my experiences it never ends well."

Slade nodded. "That may be true, but I believe that I have done enough to earn your trust." His words earned nods from some of his collaborators. "Believe me, when the plans of the secret society come to fruition, each of you will have armies at your command."

"That's completely absurd. How exactly do you plan to do this?" Roulette asked.

"All in due time, my dear." The masked villain replied, grinning beneath his mask. "But when this is over, the Justice League will be no more, and we will rule the world."

Joker let out a maniacal laugh as he imagined Batman's death, but was surprised to see that everyone was staring at Toyman.

"Oh boy, this is going to be so much fun." The demented toy maker laughed, dancing around and clapping like a young child, as the other villains eyed him with disgust. Sitting back down, Toyman continued to giggle, earning him a disturbed look from the Clown Prince of Crime.

"And they say I'm crazy." Joker commented as he stood up to leave. "If anything productive happens, give me a buzz. I'll make a beeline back here… get it? Buzz… you know… the noise bees make when they fly?" The other villains exchanged irritated looks at his joke. "Party poopers…" the clownish villain spat as he kicked open the door and left.

Slade eyed the other villains for a few moments. "I suggest the rest of you leave as well. I have to make some preparations before we can enact the next phase of the plan." The other villains left the office, allowing him to finish his work.

Pressing a button on his desk, the bookshelf shifted aside, revealing a secret passageway. Moving into the space behind the wall, Slade began his journey down the torch lit passageways. The fires cast an eerie glow over the stone walls, giving the hallway a sinister atmosphere. After a few moments, the masked villain placed his hand against one of the walls, revealing another doorway. As he stepped into the new room, a man clad in gold armor turned to greet him.

"So… how are they?" Slade questioned the man.

Warp turned around to greet the masked villain. "They all survived the mission, but some of them are in critical condition, particularly Atomic Skull. I believe that you've already spoken with Metallo and Giganta."

"Indeed… but had it not been for your transportation technology then the mission may not have been a success." Slade answered.

The futuristic villain nodded in response. "True… but the mission may have been less difficult if an old friend of yours had not intervened.

"Who are you talking about?" the masked villain questioned.

"I'm guessing that those two buffoons didn't tell you? The original Robin has returned under the alias, Nightwing."

Slade looked slightly humored by his answer. "That's all… I was actually worried that this news would be something serious. Actually… I relish the challenge. While that little whelp has no superpowers, he's just as resourceful as his mentor."

Warp nodded in response. "That is true, but I have some more good news. You will be pleased to know that Overload and Cinderblock were able to break the captured members of the Legion out of jail."

The masked villain smiled again at the progress. "Very good, and were you able to retrieve the secret weapon?" Anyway… did you retrieve the villains that Penguin hired as well?"

"Indeed. Most of them are doing well despite their defeat their encounter with the Justice League. They are all conscious and are currently awaiting an explanation as to why they are here." The futuristic villain informed.

Pushing past Warp, he entered the recovery rooms. Six villains sat in the chairs lining the room, each of them looking murderous as Slade stood in the center of the room. Livewire, Sonar, Mad Mod, Bane, Riddler, and Mirror Master sat bound in the metal chairs. Slade pressed a button, releasing their restraints, allowing them to walk freely.

"What's the meaning of this, Deathstroke?" Mad Mod asked, shaking his scrawny fist at the masked villain. Although comical, his outburst earned similar reactions from his fellow villains.

Slade glared at the psychedelic villain, effectively silencing him. After a few moments, the group of rogues returned their stares to him.

"Now that I have your attention, we have some matters to discuss." The masked crime lord stated. "To begin with, I believe I owe you an explanation as to why you are here."

"Hell you do." Livewire shouted. "Ya may have saved us, but that don't mean ya can keep us here."

The masked villain lifted his hand to silence her outburst. "True… but I was the one who hired Penguin's services tonight, so I am indirectly your employer as well."

"Get to the point bub. We ain't got all night." Livewire commanded.

Slade grinned behind his mask. "I like your attitude my dear. Very well, I'll tell you why I rescued you. I believe that a few of you were members of the Secret Society led by Gorilla Grodd"

Sonar nodded. "Yeah, I remember. I partnered with Roulette during one of Lex Luthor's moneymaking schemes and ended up in jail after the plan blew over. Goes to show that baldy wasn't much better than the monkey."

"I'm betting you were glad that neither of us were involved in Luthor's final scheme. Didn't you hear what happened to about half the organization?" Livewire asked. "Half of them guys died in space."

Her words earned a collective nod from most of the villains in the room. Even Mad Mod had heard rumors about the Secret Society.

"You can't change what happened in the past… but how about joining me in creating a new future? I believe it would be in your best interest if you all join the Legion of Doom." The masked villain stated, looking at the unruly group.

Mirror Master shook his head in response. "If I didn't accept Grodd's proposal, why would I accept yours?"

The masked villain smiled. "Because, I have a plan to bring order to this world… and all who join me will share the benefits. You don't even have to be a full member… All you have to do is show up if I have a job for you, but other then that you're a free man."

The villains exchanged looks of uncertainty before Livewire spoke up again. "Fine, I'm in… but this teamwork stuff doesn't always work."

"So I've been told by others." Slade replied. "But this plan will succeed. If you plan to join the Legion, you are all welcome to follow me to the meeting hall.

A half an hour passed before Slade went to meet the new members of the Legion. Looking out over the group, he wasn't surprised that all six of the villains he had spoken to earlier had agreed. Staring out over the crowd, he couldn't help but grin at the amount his forces had grown. Standing before him were Bane, Sonar, Livewire, Riddler, Mirror Master, Atlas, Clayface, Mad Mod, Luminous, the Ventriloquist and Scarface, Twoface, Cheshire, Mad Hatter, Ding-Dong Daddy, Killer Croc, and Trident.

NOTE TO READERS: Thanks for staying loyal. I was having some minor writer's block, but now I have some new ideas. I'm trying to give a lot of characters justice and it can be difficult. Sorry if the chapter was boring, but I'll try to make it more interesting next chapter. Keep Reviewing, it helps motivate me to write more chapters.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Unexpected Answers**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters or logos.

Prowling the streets of Gotham City all night, the Question had finally found himself outside of the largest nightclub in the area. "Are you coming?" he asked, sparing a glance over his shoulder.

Huntress shot him an irritated look as she readied her crossbow. "I thought you said that you were going to take me out dancing. Instead you drag me along on league business." She replied, gesturing toward the towering structure in front of them.

The eccentric hero smiled behind his mask. "Well… the Iceberg Lounge is one of the most successful clubs in Gotham City… this mission can be both."

"Everyone with a brain knows that this place is a cover for the Penguin's drug and weapons operations. We're basically two superheroes marching headfirst into an establishment run by the shadiest businessman in Gotham."

"You think I haven't thought about that?" Question replied as he turned into a dark alleyway. Although she was not entirely certain what the eccentric man was planning, she followed him anyway. After a few moments, the pair reemerged from the alley. Question had removed his hat and coat, and had taken off his mask. Huntress stood by his side, having abandoned her cape and mask in favor of a red dress, which she wore over her revealing superhero outfit.

"Not bad…" she replied, looking over her reflection in a shop window. "You seem to know what I like."

The eccentric hero smiled at the thought. "Don't be ridiculous… I just picked a dress for you based on how you would look." Realizing what he had just said, Question turned his back to her and continued walking towards the club.

Huntress smiled at his slipup as she followed after him. "Say… you want to go back there for a few minutes?" she asked giving him a seducing smile. Although he had his back to her, the female hero could clearly see a crimson blush spreading from his face to his neck.

Despite his attempt to hide it, he realized it was too late. Abandoning the idea of avoiding the situation, he decided it was best to ignore it for now and deal with it later. "Business first…" he replied in a resolute tone, struggling to maintain his composure. "Besides… we have someone to meet inside."

Huntress looked slightly disappointed by the idea of a third wheel. "I hope you're referring to Penguin."

"No." he replied. "I was partnered with the new girl on this mission and I asked her to wait for me to arrive."

The female superhero cocked an eyebrow. "Oh… you mean that creepy witch."

Question simply nodded. "Not the way I would phrase it, but… yes. You don't have a problem with her, do you?"

"Of course not… but I was actually hoping for a real date… not a mission where you drag along the League new witch. Does she even know that you're bringing in outside help?" she asked. Question nodded again, turning away from her. Walking forward a few steps, she felt something hit her. Looking up in surprise, Huntress realized that she had just collided with someone, and as she looked down, she caught sight of a young woman on the sidewalk.

"So you think I'm creepy huh? I really wouldn't talk if I were you." The girl retorted as she struggled to her feet.

Question raised an eyebrow. "Good to see you Raven. But how did you know it was us?"

"I used a simple locator spell to find you." She replied. "My spell only works if you have a general idea of where the target is, but I had a feeling that you were in Gotham by now. I doubt that even you were going to defy a direct order from the Martian."

"Very resourceful." Huntress commented, looking slightly impressed. "But you don't intend to just walk into a villain's establishment dressed like that?"

At this Raven looked slightly insulted. "And just what's wrong with the way I dress?" the young spell caster replied, taking a look at her reflection in a nearby window. "I've always dressed like this."

Huntress nodded. "True, but you need to be more subtle than that. I don't see anyone else her wearing long blue robes. It's a better idea if you try to blend in with the crowd."

The young sorceress considered this for a moment before realizing that she was right. Looking at her clothes, Raven decided that it was best to follow the other two. Walking into the nearby alley, the young spell caster muttered incantations. In a flash of light, she had changed.

Brushing off her clothes, she slowly stepped into the light. The pair stared at her for a few moments, looking awestruck at her new appearance.

"Is that you, Raven?" Question asked, taking a closer look at the younger hero.

"What… too much." She replied in her monotonous voice. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, the young sorceress was not sure what to think. Her hair was long and blonde, her formerly pale skin had become a healthy tan, and the red mark on her forehead had been concealed by the spell. Her clothes had changed as well. The long blue robe had changed into a dark blue dress, which fit nicely over her black leotard. Despite these significant changes, her facial features and body shape remained the same. Anyone who knew her well enough could probably recognize her. "Ready to go." She asked the others. Question nodded as he stepped through the doors of the Iceberg Lounge.

Looking around, Raven found it interesting that someone so bad had put such an effort to create this place. She had expected a filthy tavern, but the lounge was actually quite refined and hospitable. Men and woman sat at tables discussing business to the tune of a beautiful woman singing on stage. Observing the walls and pillars, she was slightly impressed by the intricate and beautiful architecture. Despite the fact that the Iceberg Lounge was run by a known criminal, the facade was actually quite convincing.

"Like it?" Question asked, glancing at his two companions.

Huntress observed the surroundings, her eyes scanning the room like prison beacons. "Nice place. Too bad half the people here are criminals. So… what's the next step?" she asked, shifting her gaze towards Question.

"We relax for now and enjoy the show until we can find a chance to investigate."

Raven moved in closer to discuss the plan. "Should I start it now. I have an invisibility spell that will allow me to move around undetected." She whispered.

Question nodded his approval. "Fine, but contact me if you require assistance."

The young sorceress nodded as she began muttering an incantation. Ducking under the table, she disappeared from view.

Huntress smiled seductively after Raven had been gone for a few minutes. "Now that the third wheel's gone, maybe we can have some time alone." She stated, wrapping her arms around him. "You look good without that stupid mask."

Having gone up a few levels, Raven stared down at the insane couple with a look of indifference on her face. "Look's like Green Arrow was right… they're both crazy and that's probably why they were meant for each other." she muttered to herself.

Turning away from the couple, she continued her investigation. Wandering the hallways, the only people that she seemed to be running into were a combination of staff and clients. As she turned a corner, the young hero found herself in a darkened hallway. The lights were dimmed, and a sign on the door bore the words "PRIVATE STAFF ONLY"

Stepping forward in triumph, the young sorceress believed that it would be a better idea not to barge into a room that could possibly lead to danger. Raven cast one of her transportation spells. Sinking through the floor into the darkness, the young sorceress reappeared in the room beyond the door. Although she was invisible, she still checked her surroundings to ensure the safety of her person.

She stared at her surroundings. The carpets covering the floor were obviously expensive, and a beautiful fireplace sat in the corner of the room. A large mahogany desk stood near the end of the room with a large chair behind it. A large number of items filled the shelves behind the desk, including antiques, models, books, and a number of bird sculptures made from precious metals.

The young sorceress admired the office for a second, but was caught off guard by footsteps that began to creep threateningly closer by the second. Stepping away from the door, Raven stood her ground, retreating to the corner of the room. Despite the fact that she was hiding her presence with an invisibility spell, she wasn't intangible. If even the least intelligent person touched her in this state, it would undoubtedly arouse suspicion, but maybe whoever was coming could provide some answers if she watched and waited.

The door burst open, revealing two men. Penguin entered his office, clutching the handle of his umbrella, followed by two men wearing black cloaks over their bodies. "You weren't followed were you?" the portly crime-lord asked.

"Of course not." Answered the first man in an eerie voice. "No one saw us come enter."

Penguin took a deep breath before responding. "Good… I cannot afford anyone finding out that I have anything to do with scum like you." He replied, settling himself into the large chair behind his desk. Eying the two new arrivals, Penguin place three glasses of wine down.

"I beg your pardon." The second figure answered in a feminine voice. Tossing aside her cloak, the red-clad woman sat down in front of his desk.

"People know what kind of business I run." The crime boss said, hanging up his umbrella. "If they were able to obtain solid evidence, I'd have ended up like you." He retorted, lifting a glass of wine to his lips.

Roulette raised an eyebrow. "You have some nerve to speak to us like that. Isn't that right… Twoface." As she spoke, the second figure pushed back the hood of his cloak, revealing his partially mutated face.

"Ack!" Penguin spat, choking on a sip of his wine. "You brought him!"

Reaching for his umbrella, Penguin's eyes widened in shock as he froze in his tracks. Twoface had the end of his pistol pointed directly at his opponent's face. "We have a score to settle…" he stated, fingering the trigger of his weapon. As he prepared to shoot, Roulette seized him by the wrist.

"Not now… We were sent by the Secret Society to do a job. Settle your personal issues later." She ordered. Twoface turned to her for a few seconds before placing his gun back into its holder, muttering curses under his breath.

"At least someone has a level head." Penguin stated, eying Twoface with intense hatred. "Now… shall we get to business." He replied, refilling his wine glass.

Roulette nodded in response, as Twoface sat down next to her.

Penguin paused for a moment before continuing. "At any extent, I believe that this is about the failure to deliver that trinket last night." He questioned, eying his clients for a moment.

"Perhaps… but you needn't worry. It was you who lost out on the payment." Roulette commented with a mischievous smirk.

The bird-like man let out an irritated chuckle. "What do you mean? I did my part. I cannot be blamed for the interference from the Justice League." He said, a vein on his face twitching.

The red-clad villain smiled again. "I meant exactly what I said. It just so happens that members of the Legion were sent as insurance. Deathstroke was smart enough to make sure that the crystal made it to him in case you did fail. In the end, it appears that we owe you nothing."

"Fine…" the portly crime boss stated to his visitors. "Get out…" he spat, gesturing towards the door. "And use the back entrance this time, will you."

Roulette stood up, looking pleased as she exited the room, Twoface followed after her fingering the handle of his pistol.

Having caught the information spoken, Raven transported herself through the darkness, reappearing in the Iceberg Lounge's main hall. Taking a brief moment to check for cameras and other people, Raven negated her invisibility spell. Spotting the two lovebirds on the dance floor, the young sorceress decided she would make her report to the Martian without any assistance from the Question. Knowing that crackpot, he had probably already came up with a theory regarding what she had just heard.

NOTE TO READERS: Yeah, I know, it sounds like more fluff. The important things that happened in this chapter centered around Raven, not the two insane heroes. I thought it would be interesting to include Huntress at least one more time. As for the Question... who better to help Raven investigate, than the conspiracy buff himself.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Secrets Revealed **

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters or logos.

Leaving the Iceberg Lounge, Raven found herself back on the streets of Gotham. Staring around the neighborhood, she began to observe the surrounding people. Many of them were poorly dressed, and each one gave off an unpleasant aura. Raven eyed the groups of drug dealers and thugs with disgust as she began to realize why Batman and the Gotham City Police force were always so busy. Turning away from the street, she entered a dark alleyway to conceal her presence from the surrounding bystanders.

When she was sure that no one could see her, the young sorceress spun around in a graceful twirl, releasing her disguise spell. Her long blonde hair retracted, changing back into a midnight blue color. As she slipped a finger through her hair, the young sorceress couldn't help but stare at her rapidly paling hands. After a few moments, her tan had dissipated. Staring down at herself, Raven watched as her clothes began to change. The blue dress she wore fell back, revealing her black leotard. As the piece of material levitated forward, it wrapped itself around her body as if drawn to her figure. After a few moments, it had become a robe once more. Having finished the spell, Raven reached up to her head, pressing the button on the earphone.

"Raven calling Watchtower…" she said into the communicator. She waited a few moments before a reply came.

"Receiving the transmission loud and clear." The Martian's voice echoed through the receiver. "Did you complete the mission?"

"Yes… I'm requesting a transport back to the Watchtower." The young sorceress replied as she reached behind her head. Pulling her hood forward, she placed it back over her head.

"Very well… prepare for transport." The Martian replied. No sooner had Raven cut off the communication, that a bright light enveloped her body. After a few moments, she reappeared on one of the League's transporters. Eying her surroundings, she decided that it was best to speak to the Martian as soon as possible. To accomplish this, she created a dark vortex beneath her feet, allowing her to sink into the floor. Her form slid through the swirling energies, and after a few moments, another portal opened on the bridge of the space station. While the spell couldn't transport her from Earth to the space station, it could allow her short distance travel on board the Watchtower.

Sliding through the second portal, Raven levitated for a few moments before catching her footing on the hard metal floor. Upon entering the control room she took a brief glance around to see if the Martian was present. Mr. Terrific raised his hand in greeting, but appeared too busy to speak. Green Arrow stood on the other side of the room, deep in conversation with Green Lantern and the Flash. Cyborg sat on the other side of the room, attempting to fix one of the more severely damaged computer systems. Spotting the Martian, the young sorceress moved forward to speak with him.

Despite having improved with her spells, Raven could still feel the strain of using too much magic from maintaining her invisibility.

The Alien eyed her for moment, as if he were analyzing her. "Where is Question?" the Martian asked bluntly.

Feeling the weariness of her body, the young sorceress settled herself into a chair. She sat back for a few moments, allowing herself to relax before answering. "He's with Huntress right now. They were sort of… busy." She replied, feeling slightly unsure of what to think at the thought of them together.

"You appear to be mentally exhausted." The Martian commented. "Perhaps you should get some rest in one of our break rooms."

Raven shook her head in response to the alien's suggestion. "I need rest… but I have some information to report first." I believe that you might find it interesting."

The Martian moved closer to her before responding. "I hope that this is as important as you claim… we currently have very few leads."

"I'm not sure about that, but I think you might find it interesting."

J'onn J'onzz eyed her with interest for a moment. "Very well… tell me what you know."

The young sorceress nodded. "All right… I used my magic to spy on some villains meeting with the Penguin at the Iceberg Lounge."

"Who were they?" he interjected.

"Some woman wearing a revealing red outfit and sunglasses, and the other one looked like half his face was mutated." She stated, trying to recall their appearances.

"Very well then. What did they want with him?"

Raven sat back in the chair as another point of interest came to mind. "They were talking about that smuggling operation that we dealt with in Gotham recently. Apparently the Penguin had some connection to these villains that are trying to steal the crystals."

"Did they say anything else of significance?" The Martian asked.

She thought for a moment, before answering. "They did mention that Slade was the one who sent Metallo's group of villains to retrieve the crystal… and something about being sent by a Secret Society." She finished, wondering if anything she had said would be of significance.

To her surprise, the alien turned away from her. "I see…"

"What do you mean?"

"I will personally present this information to the founding members of the Justice League." The Martian stated. "This information may prove useful in determining our next course of action…"

Raven cocked an eyebrow, a confused look on her face. "Was the information really that important?"

"It is not the information, but the ideas that may rise from it may be of assistance to us." He replied.

MEETING IN THE COUNSEL ROOM (2 Hours Later) 

As Raven entered the main counsel room, she began to feel nervous. They sat around the large circular table, eying her as if they were analyzing her every movement.

The Flash was the first to speak. "Glad you could make it." he said, raising his hand in greeting.

Superman sat forward, looking more serious than usual. "Sit down…" he ordered, gesturing towards the chair that was separate from the main counsel table. Raven obeyed, choosing not to say a word as she sunk into the nearby chair.

Batman turned towards the young sorceress, as if he was observing her, before he addressed her. "From what J'onn told us… you were able to find out some interesting information on what is going on lately with this string of crimes."

Raven nodded. "Yes… Slade seems to be the culprit."

"Wait… what would Deathstroke want with the crystals." Flash interjected, turning to get a better look at her.

"That's precisely what I was thinking." Batman replied. "According to what Raven told J'onn, Deathstroke has been bringing in some help… a lot of help… and they seem too well-organized to be hired hands."

Wonderwoman looked worried. "You don't think that this could be another super villain organization?" Her words earned a collective groan from the other heroes in the room.

John Stewart looked genuinely concerned at the idea. "Wait just a minute, you don't think that he and the other villains actually rebuilt Grodd's Legion of Doom, do you?"

"It all makes sense." The Martian replied. "The groups of unaffiliated villains, the cooperation within each unit, the coordinated team work, and the strange portals saving defeated villains from capture."

"But Grodd hasn't been seen since before Darksied's invasion of Earth." Superman added, looking bothered.

Batman nodded. "What about Deathstroke's involvement? You don't think that he's in charge of this plan… do you?" he asked the Martian.

"I guess its possible… but what would a maniac like him want with the Crystals?" Flash responded, looking confused.

"Power…" Raven interjected, causing all eyes in the room to turn to her.

Green Lantern looked skeptical towards her. "What does Deathstroke know about magic. Our computer profile on him doesn't mention anything about him specializing in any type of sorcery."

The young sorceress shook her head in annoyance. "Trust me… he's not completely foreign to the subject of magic."

"I don't think that she's lying about this." Batman added. "From what Nightwing tells me, Slade has tried just about everything."

Raven nodded in acknowledgement. "Most people don't remember anything about the advent of Trigon that took place four years ago… but the Teen Titans were directly involved?"

"What do you mean?" Superman asked, looking unsure of the validity of the subject.

"Four years ago, the demon Trigon returned from his confinement, spreading his power over the Earth. Using his demonic power, he turned everyone on Earth to stone. Although I will not venture into the details, my friends helped me find a way to defeat him."

"I don't remember anything like that." Green Lantern commented, folding his arms in disbelief. "However, I do remember the sky changing into a strange color and then… When I came to, everything was back to normal."

"We already discussed this during our last meeting about this… Don't you remember?" Batman interjected. "Trigon froze everyone on Earth."

John Stewart appeared slightly unconvinced. "Is there any proof of this?"

The Martian nodded. "Other than the former Teen Titans, there are others who were around to see it. Doctor Fate and many of our other magically inclined members claim to have been protected by their magical powers, and were not turned to stone during the events four years ago."

Flash raised an eyebrow, looking slightly impressed. "You and your friends must be pretty tough to have defeated a demon like that."

Raven paused before answering. "Maybe… but that unbelievable upsurge of power that I obtained during that battle, wasn't something that I normally possess, nor did I keep it after he was defeated." She said to the group of assembled heroes.

The Flash smiled. "Don't sell yourself short, kid. It may not have been an everyday event, but you were the one who did it. Take some credit where you deserve it… heck knows I always do."

"We are getting off the subject." The Martian stated, silencing the red-clad superhero. "We've already discussed this story before. What about Deathstroke?"

Raven nodded. "That is another long story. I don't think that anyone outside of the Teen Titans knows about it."

"If you do not wish to confide this information to us, we will not force you… but we highly recommend that you do if you believe it will help us understand." The Martian said to her.

Feeling reassured, she decided to cooperate. "All right then… It was almost five years ago when this whole thing started. Slade used a girl named Terra to spy on the Teen Titans. She joined the team, and became a close friend and a reliable teammate, but it was all a terrible deception. After a while, she betrayed us all. Terra carried out Slade's orders and preyed upon our weaknesses in an attempt to eliminate us. While she was able to defeat us, we survived."

"I fail to understand why that has anything to do with Deathstroke's magical connection." the Martian asked, looking slightly impatient. "How does this explain his possible knowledge of Trigon's power."

"I'm getting to that." Raven assured him. "In the end, Terra felt guilty about having betrayed her friends, and sought to make amendments for her crimes. She turned on Deathstroke, sending him into a pit of lava."

"How did he survive this?" Batman asked, looking skeptical.

Raven shook her head in response. "I'm not really sure exactly how he lived. His fall into the lava pit supposedly killed him, but no matter how long we searched, we couldn't find his body as proof that he had died. Nevertheless, he was probably badly injured when he awoke. Slade was found in the presence of Trigon, who agreed to restore his body and grant him dark powers in return for service."

Batman looked as if he had just found the point of the story. "And that's why he wants the crystals… because he knows what kind of power Trigon possesses."

"That's likely the reason. Knowing him, I have a feeling that he did his research on those crystals, and not only knows what they can do, but how to use them." She stated.

Superman dropped his fist onto the table, creating a noticeable dent on the surface. Judging by the fact that his powers required restraint around other people, it must have taken him a decent effort to hold in his anger. "Then we have no other option but to prevent him from succeeding… Has the Question found any significant answers yet?"

"Nothing that we haven't already found out about." Batman answered. "I'd press my hopes in Doctor Fate. His wife told me that he's been locked in his library for days, trying to find something important through research."

"We'd best leave it at that for now." The Martian stated, earning a collective agreement from the room's occupants. "But we should also focus on this new Secret Society of villains."

"Agreed… I say we take the fight to them." The Man of Steel replied,

Wonderwoman raised her hand in protest. "Hold on a minute. We don't even know where they are. If Deathstroke is as smart as we think, this won't be easy."

Her reply earned multiple reactions from the other members, creating an interesting exchange of ideas. Separating from the main group, the Martian approached Raven. "You should go… You have said what you were brought here to say." He said to her, gesturing towards the door.

Turning her back towards the founding members, Raven exited the room. The sound proof doors behind her closed with a metallic slam as she walked down the stairs, away from the meeting room. Turning the next corner, she was surprised to find Cyborg and Starfire standing in the hallway, as if expecting her.

The half-metal hero smiled widely. "So Rae… how did it go?"

"Fine… They just wanted to know some background information on Slade so that they could figure out what's going on, and what course of action to take next."

Starfire gasped loudly. "So that terrible man was behind this whole thing?" she asked in a loud, echoing tone.

Raven nodded. "Yeah… Based on the facts, they think that he built a Secret Society of villains."

"Looks like we're in the big leagues now, huh." Cyborg asked, looking serious.

"Yeah… Whatever game that Slade's trying to play with those crystals, just shifted to a whole new level." The young sorceress said, earning uneasy nods from her former teammates. "Is Nightwing involved yet?" she asked.

"Batman told him about Slade's involvement already." Cyborg said.

Starfire looked surprised. "I thought that Raven just informed the League of Slade's hand in this terrible situation."

Cyborg shook his head. "She may have given them the next piece of the puzzle, but the idea was already known." Looking at Raven and Starfire's blank expressions, he decided to elaborate. "Some other league members were talking to J'onn in the control room… I just overheard."

"How did they find out about Slade?" Raven asked, looking slightly confused.

Her old friend gave her a tiny smirk, looking as if he found it funny. "I heard that Killer Frost sang like a bird during the interrogation. Apparently Batman and the Martian were enough to scare her into telling them who sent her."

Raven gave one of her rare smiles at the thought, looking slightly amused. "So, frosty the snow freak wasn't so tough after all?"

"Trying to steal my one liners, eh?" came a voice from nearby.

The young sorceress looked around for a few moments, obviously confused. She racked her mind trying to remember that voice… but no… it just couldn't be. The voice was deeper, but there was no mistaking it.

Beast Boy walked around the corner, appearing on the other side of the hallway. He was definitely taller than before, and had grown a small goatee I the last few years. "Been awhile… huh Rae." He replied, running over to his friends.

"Great to see ya!" he declared flamboyantly, pulling Raven into his arms.

Cyborg smiled. "Oh yeah… I forgot to tell you that BB's back."

The young sorceress pushed herself free from his grip, looking slightly annoyed. "Well… looks like some people haven't changed." She said in her monotonous voice.

The green changeling grinned widely. "I'll say… you're still as weird as ever."

"And you're still green…" she retaliated. "All that aside… I thought you went back to the Doom Patrol?"

Beast Boy looked slightly uncomfortable for a few moments before answering. "Well, yeah… I was… But then I heard that the three of you had joined the JLU. The Doom Patrol were like family, but so were you guys. I wanted to see you guys again, so I resigned from the Doom Patrol, and joined the League." He finished, looking relieved.

"What did they think about your decision?" Cyborg asked.

The green hero turned slightly pale. "Well they were fine with it, except… Mento."

"Was he angered?" Starfire added.

"In a way… I think he took it personally." Beast Boy replied. "What I mean to say is that the Doom Patrol are some of the few heroes who haven't joined the Justice League yet. As a matter of fact, they don't even have any affiliation with the League. As you probably guessed from the time you met them, the members of the Doom Patrol are stubbornly independent."

Cyborg nodded. "Yeah… I can't see them taking orders from the Martian."

Raven smiled again, remembering that argument that the Titans had with them during their battle against the Brotherhood of Evil. They certainly were a different sort.

"Anyway… its good to see you again, Beast Boy." Raven said, giving them another smile.

"I don't think I've ever seen Rae smile so much in one day." Cyborg added, returning her smile with his own grin.

The green changeling laughed. "Yeah… Who are you and what have you done with Raven?" he asked jokingly.

The expression on Raven's face became unreadable as she levitated him into the air with her chaos magic, spinning him around like a twirling top. Cyborg and Starfire stood back, watching in amusement as Beast Boy begged for mercy like a frightened child. His arms and legs flailed around in mid-air, struggling to find the ground. With a bored sigh, the young sorceress released her spell, catching him with her magic as he fell towards the ground. The spell pushed him upward, as if an invisible hand was placing him into a standing position.

"Yup… it's you." Beast Boy said, drunkenly stumbling around on his feet, before he could move normally again.

Cyborg walked towards the cafeteria, opening the door. "Shall we go." He said, gesturing towards the room. "We can talk about what's going on over dinner, just like old times."

Raven watched as her friends walked into the dining hall. She felt another smile find its way onto her face, and began to wonder when was the last time she felt so happy. Seeing her friends back together was enough to elevate even her spirits, and despite the fact that each of them had matured over the last four years… it felt like old times.

NOTE TO READERS: Thanks to the few or you who actually did review. It's good to know that someone actually likes the story and has stayed with me this far. Keep it up, it makes me want to write more. Oh, I noticed that some people have favorited this story or added it to your update notice didn't bother reviewing. I just want to know if you could please, if it wouldn't be too much trouble. Anyway… I have some interesting plans for the next few chapters. If you're a Justice League fan, you might find it interesting.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: The Game Begins **

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters or logos.

The Joker was known throughout the world of villains as a maniacal sadist, and was not an easy person to get along with, but however terrible he was when he was in a good mood, he was even worse on days like this. After leaving behind the Legion of Doom, the Clown Prince of Crime had returned to his hideout in Gotham City.

Stomping around his sham of an office, the insane villain wasn't sure whether he wanted to break something, or kill someone. Harley Quinn sat on a chair near the corner of the room, twiddling her thumbs in a nervous fashion. In fact, the poor woman was actually frightened by his foul temper. While she loved her Mistah J, there were often times when she was scared of what he would do next.

"I just don't get it? I've been a part of that circus they call an organization for months now, and what do we have to show for it… nothing!" he shouted, jabbing his elbow into the wall. Letting out an uncharacteristic groan, the Clown Prince of Crime slumped into the chair next to her.

The female jester closed her eyes as plaster fell from ceiling. Putting on a great big smile, the insane psychiatrist skipped over to her boss. "C'mon Mistah J. I'm sure it'll pay off some time. Just imagine Bat guano's fat head on a plate." She said, reaching over and stretching his face into a smile.

Joker stood, gently pulling her into his arms. The insane villain smiled down at her, with a soft expression on his face. "Oh, Harley… there are times when you really know how to help a man like me…" He said, embracing her gently. "Unfortunately… THIS ISN'T ONE OF THEM!" he bellowed, slapping her across the face.

Harley broke down for a moment as she fell to her knees. All happiness had drained from her face. "What's wrong Mistah J?" she asked innocently, fighting back tears.

"I'm just really not in the mood for this right now… especially after listening to that masked madman blather on and on about absolutely nothing. That bossy masked man and his gang of super-powered freaks are really starting bore me to tears. I want to have a little fun, and what do they do? Shut me down at every turn." He fumed. "What's the fun in ruining lives when I can't even do it my own way."

"So… What are we gonna do?" she asked, looking to him for an answer.

The clownish villain smiled for a few moments, holding out his hand to help her. Helping her to her feet, the Joker took her face in his hands, pulling her closer to him. "I'm going to tell those fools in the Secret Club, that I quit. But you, my dear, are going to leave, so I can have some time to myself." he said, shoving her through the doorway like a sack of garbage. Harley looked up imploringly, but the Joker simply smiled.

"Sorry about this sugar, but daddy needs some time to himself." In one swift movement, the Clown Prince of Crime swept her belongings off of the table and tossed them into the hallway at her. Harley jumped up, catching her bags as they soared through the air. She looked broken and pathetic as if she were about to break out in tears.

"Tootle loo. See ya next June." He said, slamming the door in her face.

Harley launched herself against the door, beating her fists against it like an angry child. After a few minutes, even she realized that he wasn't planning on answering her. Gathering up her things, she left without another word.

As she stepped out the door, the poor woman

"Stupid Batman… Stupid Justice League… Stupid Legion…" the insane villain muttered under her breath as she walked through the streets of Gotham. Turning a corner, the former psychiatrist decided to drown her misery in alcohol, but upon looking at herself, she realized that she couldn't just walk into an establishment dressed in her signature garb. She might as well call the police now and tell them where she was. Walking into a dark alleyway, the female villain tore off her costume, scowling in a violent manner. Beneath her outfit she wore another skintight suit, colored white.

Thrusting the discarded jester outfit into a nearby dumpster, she reached into her bag and took out an old hand mirror. The insane psychiatrist eyed herself for a few moments, before wiping the layer of makeup from her face. She didn't usually show people her blonde hair, especially since she spent most of her time with her insane boyfriend as a sidekick. Placing the mirror back into her case, Harley realized that she wasn't bad looking without the large amounts of makeup that she usually wore. Peaking into the dumpster at the torn garment, she couldn't help but let out a small sigh. "Oh well… I got extras."

Eying her skintight suit, the female villain realized that she was quite attractive and would attract a lot of unwanted attention. Rummaging through one of her bags, she found the large trench coat that she wore when the Joker needed her to hide weapons. Slipping the long coat over her suit, she buttoned it tightly.

Harley looked both ways to make sure the streets were clear before moving into the light. Sighting the local restaurant, she decided to carry out her original plans for the night. Opening the front doors of the building, the female villain couldn't help but notice how empty the place was for a Friday night. She crept towards the main bar, taking the stool closest to the service man.

"Can I help you?" the bartender asked, looking slightly unnerved by her odd appearance.

"Yeah you can… Get me a shot of the strongest whisky you got, and make it snappy." She ordered, rapping her knuckles on the counter in an impatient manner. Her behavior earned frightened looks from the people next to her, who immediately moved their seats away.

"Here you are…" he replied, reaching behind the bar. Placing a glass on the table, the barman filled it halfway. "Well there be anything else?"

"Hell yeah… This measly little glass ain't even full!" she grumbled, wrenching the bottle from his hands and filling it the rest of the way. Placing the glass to her lips, she drowned the shot in one large gulp, and filling another shot.

"Miss… May I have the bottle." The man asked, attempting to wrench the container from her grasp. She tossed the bottle back at him, laughing as he struggled to catch it.

"More…" she ordered, pushing her glass forward.

The man looked more than slightly hesitant. "That's the most expensive and probably the strongest liquor we have. Don't you think you should take it slowly?"

"Says you, fathead." She replied, as he filled another glass. She sat on the stool, letting the liquor take its toll as she continued to order one drink after another. "I think I want a beer now." She ordered. Some people in the bar looked more than a little shocked that she was still drinking more.

"Perhaps after that you should stop." He said.

"Hey!" she snapped, looking thoroughly inebriated. "I didn't ask for any lip." She said, spitting in his face. In a matter of moments, two large men had grabbed hold of her. "Lemme go!" she groaned, as she felt the two security guards seize her by the arms and toss her through the doorway.

"Don't expect a tip!" she fumed, trying to stand. Struggling on her feet, the insane psychiatrist lost her footing. As she fell towards the ground, the world around her became swallowed up by the darkness.

Opening her eyes, Harley sat up. Upon observing her surroundings, she knew that she definitely wasn't outside the restaurant anymore. Footsteps began echoing through the room. Leaping out of the makeshift bed, the female villain struck a fighting stance. "I'm warning you… don't get any closer." She shouted.

"Calm down. It's me." The person replied, stepping into the light.

"Red… It's you." Harley said, leaping forward to embrace her friend. Poison Ivy smiled before pushing the insane woman back into her bed. "Hey red… One question."

"What is it?" Ivy replied.

"What the heck am I doin here?" she asked, looking confused. "I had myself a real party at the bar last night and blacked out."

The red-haired smiled, looking slightly amused. "I found you last night on the street. Even without the makeup, I knew it was you. I brought you back to my place to recover for a while. You're lucky I found you in time… the alcohol poisoning was beginning to worsen by the time I got you here." she replied, looking slightly amused.

Harley cocked an eyebrow. "Strange thing is… I don't got no hangover or nothin like that."

Ivy reached over to a nearby table, picking up a glass beaker. "I created an anti-toxin with the extracts from a variety of rare plants that I've been growing. It was able to ease your recovery, and may have saved your life."

"Thanks red." She replied, flashing her a real smile. "I gotta go back to Mistah J now. He's probably wondering why I ain't come back yet."

"As if he really cares about you at all?" the red-haired woman commented, giving her friend a look of disapproval.

Harley seized her friend by the hair, pulling her closer. Her face was alive with anger, as if she had been insulted. "Hold on… No one insults Mistah J around me. Got it."

Poison Ivy relaxed herself, looking amused by her reaction. "Calm down and think about it." She replied, gently pushing Harley into a chair. "Do you honestly think that he cares enough about you to protect your honor like you just did for him? Hell if I know why you were drunk, but I'd place my bets on clown boy booting you out again… right?"

"He's… just got… issues." She stammered, looking hurt.

"Trust me Quinzel, you need a psychiatrist if you think you needed to point out something so obvious." She replied.

"Them stuck up villains from the Secret Society spoiled his fun. That's why Mistah J was so angry." The insane psychiatrist added. "They wouldn't let him do things his way. I mean, where's the fun in destroying stuff if ya can't have fun doin it. That's why we quit."

Ivy sighed in defeat. "Whatever you say…" she replied, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, before you go back to that jerk, maybe you'd like to come out with me and the girls tomorrow night?"

Harley grinned widely, showing her teeth. "I'm in. Who's coming along for the ride?"

"Oh… just some friends of mine from the Secret Society. Deathstroke is having some of us make some money to increase the organization's funding."

"When's this stuff goin down?"

"Tomorrow night at 11:00. He told us that we could use any means necessary to obtain the money." Ivy replied with a smirk.

Harley laughed. "Got that right, red. What's the big crime gonna be?

"Well, we're being ordered to rob the mint shipment heading towards town tomorrow night. We have to rob the entire fleet of armored cars. It's going to be fun."

The insane psychiatrist skipped over to Ivy, pulling the redhead into a playful headlock. "Yeah… it's gonna be a regular girls night out."

**WITH SLADE**

Slade Wilson sat behind his desk, an impatient look plastered across his face. Hearing the approaching footsteps, the villain placed his trademark mask over his face, fitting it into place. Looking up towards the new arrival, Slade couldn't help but smile behind his mask. "Ah, Warp… is the secret weapon ready?"

The futuristic villain nodded. "Indeed. I used my portals to locate the one that you seek. Pity that he was so powerful. It took ten of our most powerful villains to render him unconscious."

The masked villain appeared indifferent. "I really don't care how you did it… But is he able to speak?"

"Yes…"

Slade smirked behind the mask. "Take me to him."

Warp nodded again, pressing a button on his utility belt. After a few seconds, a gigantic vortex appeared on the wall. Gesturing towards the vortex, the futuristic villain dove into the portal, disappearing into the void. Slade hesitated for a few moments before joining him.

The masked villain fell through a void of spinning colors before landing on his feet in a new location. Shaking off the feeling of traveling through Warp's vortex, Slade began to observe his surroundings. He was standing in a laboratory, much like his own. Ignoring the multiple experiments, the crime lord followed the sound of Warp's footsteps.

After navigating the winding hallways, Slade entered a new room. Warp stood in the center of the lab, staring up at the creature that would be their secret weapon. A large humanoid creature sat in a glass tube, his arms and legs bound in giant shackles. The creature's body floated in a green fluid as it lay in a forced suspended animation.

Slade's eyes widened as he saw the creature up close. "Incredible!" he muttered, staring up at the beast. "So… this is the beast that almost killed Superman?"

The futuristic villain laughed arrogantly. "Indeed… this is Doomsday."

The masked villain turned his attention back towards Warp. "How was this creature made?"

"He was created by Professor Neil Hamilton for Project Cadmus a few years ago." Warp explained. "They used a sample of Superman's DNA to spawn this creature. By genetically enhancing the beast, they hoped to create something that was superior to Superman."

Slade turned back to the tube. "So… this was all a product of genetics."

"Not really… they also conditioned Doomsday to hate Superman by trapping him in a laboratory and creating artificial scenarios so that he would grow to despise his adversary. Then… things went sour."

Slade nodded. "I heard about that. Apparently those fools working for the U.S. government couldn't control him, and tried to abandon him in space. Apparently, it didn't work and they were forced to recapture him. He would later fight Superman and get taken back to the Watchtower by the Justice League, who were forced to send him to another dimension to dispose of him."

Warp smirked. "And that is how I was able to locate him… But are you absolutely sure that this is a good idea. If this creature almost destroyed Superman, then what makes you so sure he won't try to kill us as soon as we let him go free?"

Slade ignored Warp's protests as he proceeded to the control panel. As he pulled the lever, the green fluid drained out of the tube, allowing the glass tube to lift away from the creature's body.

Doomsday's unconscious form stirred, his eyes shooting open. "YOU…" the creature bellowed, attempting to crush Warp.

The futuristic villain leapt backwards, looking utterly terrified as the beast roared in anger.

"YOU WERE ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO TRIED TO KILL ME!" Doomsday shouted, lunging forward with a growl of fury. The giant shackles were mad of an extremely strong metal, and succeeded in holding the beast down. Warp pressed another button on his belt, causing the shackles to emit large surges of electricity. Doomsday roared in pain as the heavy electrocution tore through his body like a giant wire. After a few moments, the futuristic villain stopped the flow.

Slade smiled behind his mask, taking a few steps forward. "Greetings, my friend." He said in a calm tone. "My apologies for the earlier misconceptions, but I simply wished to free you from that ghastly dimension that Superman so graciously sent you too."

"If that is all… then release me." The beast replied, attempting to break the shackles again.

"All in due time." The masked villain replied nonchalantly. "But for now, I wish to speak to you."

The creature growled again, looking furious.

Slade smiled again, looking thoroughly amused. "Calm yourself. I just need you to help me accomplish something."

Doomsday glared at the masked villain with murderous intent. "I help no one. I have one purpose… to kill Superman."

"Yes… I know." Slade replied. "You may do it when the time arises."

"Than why keep me here?" the creature asked.

"You'll get your chance, but first… you must serve me."

"NEVER!" the beast roared.

"I had a feeling that would be your answer… but fortunately, I had Warp plant a device in your head that I can use to control you if I wish." Slade replied, turning to Warp. "Do it… now!"

Doomsday face became blank and expressionless as the futuristic villain pressed another button on his belt. Warp approached the beast carefully, waving his hand in front of Doomsday's blank face before handing Slade a device.

The masked villain took it without question, looking positively vindictive in the dim light. "I'm guessing this is the control module?"

Warp nodded as he walked over to the control panel, pressing a button. With a metallic clang, the button released Doomsday's restraints.

"Walk forward three steps." Slade commanded into the box in his hand. The beast followed his orders as it continued to stare blankly at the surroundings. The masked crime lord couldn't help but laugh to himself as he watched how helpless this creature had become.

"This creature will be our weapon." He said to himself, looking rather pleased at the results. "We test it out tomorrow night."

NOTE TO READERS: I hope you liked it, please review. Sorry that Raven didn't make an appearance, but I like to seperate the hero and villain chapters.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Glamour Slam II**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC chacracters or logos.

NOTE: The title of this chapter is based on the name of the all female Meta Brawl from Justice League Unlimited.

Raven sat back in her chair, taking a sip of her herbal tea. Spending large amounts of time in space, she was actually beginning to lose track of time, but the feeling in her stomach told her that it was time to eat something. Meals were some of the few times that she got to sit back and take a brake from Justice League business. Even with all of her perceptive skills, she hadn't foreseen how difficult it would be to serve as a full-time member. Not only were the villains that she fought at a higher level than the Jump City rogues that the Titans encountered, but when she combined her training with Doctor Fate and her duties as a hero, she was beginning to feel a definite strain.

Despite having company today, the young sorceress sat with her nose in a magic book. Her eyes swept across the pages, working furiously as her brain memorized the multiple incantations.

Sitting at the same table were Starfire, Black Canary, Green Arrow, and Speedy, all of whom were beginning to stare at her. Feeling the four sets of eyes on her, Raven placed her book down so that she could see them more clearly. "Yes…" she asked.

Starfire smiled awkwardly. "We were simply inquiring as to why you are working so hard. Is not this time of lunch a point of the day in which we are supposed to ingest food into our stomachs while communicating with those who we have joined for the meal?"

Raven laughed inwardly at her friend's overuse of words. "Sorry if I was rude… but I really don't have the time to just sit around and relax."

"Everyone needs time to relax. It's as much a part of life as working is." Green Arrow replied, giving the young sorceress a look of reassurance.

The blue-clad hero shook her head in response. "I agree with you, but I have a lot on my plate right now." She said. "All of these missions combined with memorizing and learning new spells really doesn't leave much time for relaxing. Besides… I can do both."

Speedy laughed. "I hate to say it, but Olli's absolutely right… something that I wouldn't normally say."

His words earned him a disapproving look from his former mentor. "Don't push it, Speedy." The green-clad hero warned.

The younger archer reached forward, seizing the book and tearing it from her grip. "C'mon Raven… just take a brake."

Raven gave the former Titan an indifferent nod, muttering an incantation as she did moved her head. Speedy jumped back a little as the book vanished with a soft poof, leaving behind a tiny wisp of smoke. Raven gave him an almost unnoticeable smile as she pulled her hand out from the folds of her blue cloak. The spell book was tightly grasped between her fingers. "Don't do it again…" she said, giving him a slightly irritated look.

"Told ya…" Green Arrow replied, looking at his former sidekick. Speedy scowled, but said nothing in response to the statement.

Cracking open her spell book, Raven continued to read. The group sat in silence, as the small group continued to eat their meals in peace. A loud squelching noise shattered the silence. Looking up from her book, the young sorceress turned to Starfire to see what the commotion was. Seeing the source of the noise, she begun to regret looking.

The Tamaranean sat a few feet away, her lips wrapped around a large worm looking creature as she sunk her teeth into it.

The smell of the creature was unbearable, and the slug-like creature appeared to have been alive, seconds before. A look of horror crossed Raven's face, but she quickly his it behind her expression of indifference. "Um, Starfire… what is that?" she asked, looking unsure of what else to say.

Wiping the green slime from her lips, Starfire smiled widely. "This my friend, is a meal worthy of a king on my planet. Gozorgin slugs are some of the rarest and most delicious of all Tamaranean foods." She replied.

Green Arrow exchanged uneasy looks with Speedy as they joined Raven in staring at the mutilated slug in Starfire's outstretched hand.

Starfire smiled again, holding the alien invertebrate towards Raven. "Would you like some?"

Speedy turned away, looking thoroughly disgusted at the sight and small of the Tamaranean delicacy. "I think I'll pass." He replied, standing up and leaving the room.

Green Arrow placed a hand on Starfire's shoulder. "What's considered delicious on your planet, may not be considered edible on Earth." He said to her.

Black Canary said nothing as she stood up, depositing the remains of her lunch in a nearby garbage can.

Starfire nodded accordingly as she stuffed the rest of the creature into her mouth. Taking a deep breath, she swallowed the entire thing in one large gulp.

"We'll see you guys later." The blonde haired superhero said, as she walked out. Green Arrow nodded, following after Black Canary.

No sooner had they left, that the Martian's voice burst from the speaker in the dining hall. "The following heroes please report to the bridge. Wonderwoman, Starfire, Vixen, and Raven, please report to the bridge… that is all."

"Let's go." Raven said, rising from her seat.

Starfire nodded, looking unusually serious.

The two female heroes floated into the air, gliding through the hallways of the Watchtower with relative ease. After a few moments, they found themselves standing outside of the control room.

"What do you believe they require of us?" Starfire asked, turning towards Raven.

Raven shook her head. "I don't know either, but we'll find out soon enough. The female heroes continued forward, the door opening automatically from them. As they entered the control room the other members of their four-person team had already arrived. Wonderwoman stood beside the Martian, the two founding members speaking in hurried tones. Noticing that everyone was pleasant, Wonderwoman approached her teammates.

"We have an assignment to take care of outside of Gotham tonight. There's a fleet of armored cars heading through the city, and our intelligence reports that a group of villains is planning to rob them. Does anyone have any questions?" she asked, surveying the members of the group.

"Don't you think we can let the cops handle this heist?" Vixen commented.

Wonderwoman shook her head. "No, because I doubt the police will be able to stop a group of powerful super villains." Her answer earned a collective nod from the other female heroes.

Exiting the room, the four heroes stood on the transporters. With the press of a button, they were gone.

WITH THE VILLAINS 

Harley Quinn sat beside her best friend, her legs crossed in a feminine manner. Contrary to the way she felt, the insane psychiatrist was back in her signature garb, having donned an extra outfit and applied another layer of makeup, and her blonde hair, was once again concealed by her jester hat. Turning to the insane environmentalist, she let out a groan. "So red, why do we have to invite those slobs." She commented, gesturing towards the group.

Killer Frost stepped forward, a murderous expression on her face. "You wanna take this outside, clown."

Harley she stood up, taking a fighting stance as she took out her spring-loaded boxing glove. "Bring it on, Frosty."

"Will you losers calm down?" Livewire asked from her place on Ivy's couch.

At this, Killer Frost and Harley glared at the electric villain, sending their attacks in her direction. Livewire squealed ducking away from the assault. As Killer Frost fired another attack, but the ice shattered against a pink wall of energy, which had materialized out of nowhere.

Star Sapphire glided through the doorway, looking faintly irritated at their childish behavior. "I can't believe that I've been reduced to working with common criminals." She groaned, casting her teammates a look of disapproval.

Killer Frost scowled, but decided to let the insult slide. "I don't see you doing anything productive."

Giganta appeared in the doorway, shoving the others aside as she moved her six-foot five-inch tall frame through the group.

Harley groaned. "What the heck's big jumbo doin here?" she asked.

"I'm here to explain why you guys are really here tonight." The giant woman said. "The heist is a trap for the Justice League."

Poison Ivy cocked an eyebrow, looking confused. "Wait a minute. I thought that Deathstroke needed funds for the Secret Society. Wouldn't it be a good idea to seize the chance."

Star Sapphire shook her head. "Of course that would be the normal method of doing things, but Deathstroke came up with an idea that not only provides funding for the group, but also gives us a better chance of eliminating some of those annoying heroes."

"What's the real plan than?" Livewire asked.

Giganta smiled at her fellow villains. "We're not allowed to give you details yet, so just let that be a surprise. Just be prepared to fight."

Killer Frost spit a giant wad of ice from her mouth, watching it shatter as it struck the ground. "What's in it for us?"

"We all get a nice personal cut of the profit assuming that we survive." Star Sapphire commented, looking completely serious.

Harley sat back looking bored. "We'll kick their buts no problem. How much money we talkin

Anyway?"

"You'll see." Giganta replied. "For now we're heading to place where the armored cars are going to be."

Star Sapphire glided into the air, flying back through the doorway. The other female villains exchanged confused glances, but decided to follow. She led the group through the outskirts of town until they reached their destination… a small strip of road running through the lonely trees.

"Right on schedule." Ivy said as she spotted the small fleet of armored cars. 'So… what's the plan?" she asked Giganta.

The large woman smiled deviously. "We loot these guys and destroy anyone who gets in the way."

"Simple… yet elegant." The insane environmentalist replied with a smirk.

"Now!" Star Sapphire ordered as the trucks drew closer.

Poison Ivy nodded, moving into the center of the road. The fleet of trucks came to a screeching halt, as the drivers had no desire to crash.

"Hey… could you please move aside so we can continue on the route." He asked, getting out of his vehicle.

The female villain smiled seductively, taking a few steps towards the man. Seeing her up close, a large blush enveloped his face. Striking a pose, she continued to walk towards the driver. The poor man looked conflicted as she moved within inches of him. "Um… Miss, could you…" he began. Before he could finish, she leaned forward, taking the driver in her arms. Moving her face forward, the red-haired villain planted a kiss on him, driving the man to his knees.

"No man can resist me." She muttered to herself, smiling at the rest of the oncoming vehicles. "And there's plenty more for everyone else."

Tying his unconscious form with rope-like vines, she threw his huddled body into the side of the road. At this moment, the rest of the cars stopped within a few feet of her, all of the drivers looking equally confused.

"Leave it to red." Harley said from her hiding spot behind a tree.

Killer Frost looked positively murderous. "That's it, I'm not waiting for that woman to have her way with all of them."

Springing from her hiding spot in the bushes, Killer Frost created a giant wall of ice, effectively preventing the armored cars from going any farther. Livewire leapt forward, absorbing the energy from the car batteries. Poison Ivy looked slightly disappointed, but knew that now wasn't the time for her to have her fun.

"That works." Giganta replied, growing three stories tall. With a mighty sweep of her hand, one of the trucks fell onto its side, popping open like a tin can. The group of terrified workers ran for their lives, but were became ensnared by vines as they attempted to flee into the woods.

Harley kicked the broken door of its hinges, filling her sack with every dollar, coin, and valuable that she could find.

Using the power of her mask, Star Sapphire gathered up the money, holding it in a container mad of her mask's energy. "Let's go." she ordered, signaling the retreat.

Giganta turned around, but staggered backwards as a fist smashed into her face. As she fell to the ground, the group of female villains turned to greet the new arrivals.

Wonderwoman hovered in the air where Giganta's head had been moments before, a smug expression on her face. "I don't think so." She said, glaring at the villains. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

Harley Quinn gave a small snort or laughter, followed by a collective chorus of snickering from her fellow bad girls. "C'mon Wonderwimp, we got you outnumbered."

"Have it your way." Wonderwoman replied. As she said this, Raven materialized through a dark vortex, followed by Starfire. The Tamaranean held onto Vixen, as she carried her into battle.

Giganta stood up, swinging her hands around as if she were attempting to smack the heroes out of the sky. Wonderwoman dodged her clumsy blows with ease, delivering a volley of punched directly in her face. Giganta fell back, rubbing her bruised face with her hands. Seizing the chance, Wonderwoman tied her rope around her opponent's ankles.

"Hey Jumbo… Give me you best shot." The Amazon princess taunted, flying out of Giganta's reach.

The giant villain let out an angry scowl as she charged forward. Feeling her bound legs give out, Giganta's gargantuan form toppled over, smashing her face first into the ground. Having disabled her opponent, Wonderwoman turned back towards the fray.

Raven had troubles of her own, dodging a stream of constant attacked from Star Sapphire. Waves of pink and black energy illuminated the sky as the two of them fought. Gathering up her power, Raven sent a wave of chaos magic at her opponent, who created a wall of energy to block the assault. Star Sapphire returned her attack by firing off beams of concentrated energy at Raven, forcing her to defend. She created a barrier around herself, shielding her body from the oncoming assault.

Starfire wanted to help her friend, but was having troubles of her own. Flying as fast as her body could muster, the young Tamaranean worked to stay out of reach of Poison Ivy's pursuing plant life. Unable to avoid it, large tendrils began wrapping themselves around her limbs, making it more difficult to escape. Summoning the reserves of her strength, she snapped the vines that were holding her, returning the attack with one of her own. Mustering up her fury, she began firing off her star bolts. The blasts of green energy burned the plants, withering them into ashes on contact.

"How dare you," the crazed environmentalist muttered as she watched her beautiful vines burning.

The Tamaranean princess shot a blast from her eyes at her opponent. The beam hit a tree, which had suddenly burst from the ground. Eying the crazed botanist, Starfire realized that she had found a worthy opponent.

"We're in the woods… and plants are my specialty." Ivy replied, looking confident that she would win.

Firing her star bolts at the ground, billowing clouds of dirt and dust rose into the air, obstructing her opponent's view. Used the explosions as a cover, Starfire attempted to move in for the blow. Charging forward into the dust, she felt a large object slam into her body. Her limp form fell backwards towards the ground, before she was able to seize control of her powers again.

Wonderwoman darted forward to resume the battle with Poison Ivy, using her tiara to sever the large numbers of oncoming vines.

Harley Quinn let out a hysterical laugh as she watched Starfire spin through the air. The Tamaranean flew directly toward the female jester, attempting to stop her.

The crazy psychiatrist cartwheeled out of the way, flipping around in midair and landing on her feet. She stuck her tongue out at Starfire.

Meanwhile, Killer Frost sent wave after eave of ice in Vixen's direction in an attempt to freeze her. Calling upon the power of a rhino, Vixen slammed headfirst into Killer Frost, shattering her wall of ice and sending her flying into Harley Quinn. The insane psychiatrist fell backwards landing in a heap on the ground, but the icy villain stood up, rejoining the fight.

Looking around, the icy villain focused her powers a gigantic wave of ice, and sent it in Wonderwoman's direction.

Catching sight of the attack, the Amazon dodged sideways, and watched as the attack froze Poison Ivy and all of her plants.

Tossing aside her boxing glove shooter aside in favor of a shotgun that she had concealed, Harley pointed her weapon at the injured Tamaranean. Starfire jumped away as she pulled the trigger, but all that came out was a small flag with the word "BANG" written on it.

Starfire looked relieved, but was caught off guard as Harley pulled the trigger again. A large net flew out of tiny shotgun, snaring the alien princess in its grip.

"You cannot hold me with this." Starfire shouted, attempting to rip the material. As she struggled, the fibers of the net released large amounts of electricity, electrocuting her into an unconscious state.

Harley Quinn grinned at the sight of her opponent, looking quite pleased with the results of her invention.

Wonderwoman headed over to help Starfire, but found herself face-to-fact with Killer Frost and Harley Quinn. "Oh great…" she muttered, eying the two villains with disgust.

Raven turned to help her friend, but ran into a wall of energy. Star Sapphire shook her head in mock disapproval. "Let's not get distracted." She commented, firing another blast at Raven.

The young sorceress floated sideways to avoid getting hit with the attack. "Great… of all the people to fight, I get stuck with the toughest." She said, letting out a groan. Thinking for a minute, she realized her opponent's weakness. It was time to try a new spell. Concentrating her magic, slid through a dark vortex. Rising out of another portal, she released another concentrated blast of magic at her opponent.

Star Sapphire created another wall of energy, effectively blocking the attack. Concentrating the energy from her mask, she created a large sword out of energy, and swung it at Raven. To her surprise, the energy phased right through her opponent, causing the illusion to vanish. Looking around in confusion, the villain turned her head just in time to receive a direct hit from Raven's energy spell.

The blast of chaos magic hit her in the chest, causing her to lose consciousness. Her body fell towards the ground, but was caught by a black platform that Raven conjured at the last second. Placing the villain's body on the ground, the young sorceress dodged sideways to avoid a blast of lightning from her next opponent. Livewire bore down on her pray with a devious grin.

Wonderwoman was starting to struggle. Dodging Killer Frost's ice, she struck the frosty villain over the head, knocking her out cold.

Harley fired a round of bullets from her weapon, but the Amazon Princess raised her wrist cuffs, reflecting them. Slinging her lasso around the insane psychiatrist, Wonderwoman swung her through the air into Livewire.

The two villains sat on the ground, bound together by the rope. Taking a few steps forward, Raven placed her hands on their foreheads. In a matter of seconds, she had rendered them unconscious with a sleeping spell. Using her usual magic, she shattered the electrified net, freeing Starfire from it.

The Tamaranean Princess struggled to he feet, looking slightly ill. She breathed steadily, tying not to overdo it.

"Just think about it. We were sent here to stop a simple robbery, and we all ended up fighting top-notch super villains.

Starfire gave her friend an uneasy smile, choking back the waves of pain that continued to course through her body.

"At least everyone's okay." Wonderwoman commented as she helped Starfire stand.

Vixen gasped as a large portal opened up behind the villains, but instead of sucking them in, four people stepped out of it. Slade Wilson stood at the head of the group, followed by Sinestro, Warp, and Captain Cold.

"Well done…" Slade said in a mocking tone. "But now you're about to see why you're really here." He said, grinning behind his mask. Pressing a button on the device in his hand, Doomsday emerged from the vortex, staring around like a zombie.

Raven clutched her chest in exhaustion. After the last battle, she highly doubted that any of them were in the condition to continue fighting. Her eyes widened in shock at the sight of the beast that stood before them.

Wonderwoman looked shocked at the sight of the creature, having seen Superman send him to another dimension little more than a year ago.

Slade smiled again, looking pleased with how well the trap went. The villains had weakened them, and now one of the founding members of the Justice League, as well as two of his old nemeses, were about to die.

NOTE TO READERS: I'm cutting the fight here because the chapter itself is running long. Keep reviewing, because it motivates me to write faster.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Arrival of Doomsday **

DISCLAIMER: I do not any DC characters or logos.

Raven struggled to stand, having used up too much energy in her previous battle. Using so many spells in a quick and abrupt manner had drained her magical aura considerably, leaving her body feeling vulnerable. Despite having come out the victor, she was in no shape to continue.

The young spell caster spared a moment to observe her fellow heroes, but it did nothing to ease her concerns. From a quick glance, it was obvious that none of them were in the condition to win this fight. Starfire had been badly electrocuted, and had sustained multiple injuries. As a matter of fact, the poor Tamaranean would probably be on her knees if Wonderwoman hadn't been supporting her. Wonderwoman was relatively unharmed compared to the others, but from the sound of her breathing, she too was exhausted from the battle. Vixen stood up shakily, one of her legs having been frozen by Killer Frost. She was also attempting to recover from a direct blast of electricity that she received from Livewire.

Slade looked relatively calm as he observed his adversaries, a twisted smile forming behind his mask. Nodding his head toward Sinestro, the former Green Lantern gathered up the fallen villains with his power ring. Securing the yellow barrier around them, he pulled them through the swirling vortex. The portal closed behind him, preventing anyone from following.

"I'm so glad that you could make it." Deathstroke commented nonchalantly. "Congratulations Justice League… you will be the first to see what my newest weapon is capable of. Doomsday… destroy them." He commanded.

The beast staring off into space turned his gaze to the team of heroes, his face contorted with rage. Charging forward like a rhino, the creature raised its fists into the air, bringing them down in the spot where the heroes had stood moments before.

Wonderwoman pushed the injured Starfire out of the way, sparing her the assault.

Sensing her fatigue Raven realized that her only option was to fight from a distance. Vanishing through a vortex, the young witch reappeared a considerable distance away from the creature.

Vixen ran out of the way, using the abilities of a Cheetah.

Roaring in fury, Doomsday swung his fists wildly, attempting to kill anyone he could make contact with. An injured Starfire glided through the air, shooting beams out of her eyes. Watching the fight, Raven could see smoke rising from the beast in the places that he was hit, but even if it caused him any pain, he appeared to be completely unaware.

"Drop me onto his head." Vixen commanded.

Raven raised an eyebrow, looking unsure. "Are you crazy. If you do that he might kill you."

"Look witch, we don't have time to argue about this. Just do it." She ordered.

Deciding that she was right, the blue-clad sorceress seized Vixen's arms, positioning her above the creature's head. Releasing her grip, Vixen landed on the creatures head, driving him to the ground.

"Smooth…" Raven commented. "I guess you're using the weight of an elephant.

Vixen nodded in response as she continued to pound him with her fists.

The moment of triumph only lasted a few moments. Lifting her up with relative ease, Doomsday grabbed his attacker and tossed her through the air like a dart. Vixen's limp form flew thirty feet through the air before landing in a crumpled heap near the base of a tree. Starfire darted forward, attempting to fight the beast. With a triumphant growl, the beast swatted her out of the sky like an insect.

Binding the creature in chaos magic, she attempted to hold him back, but found herself unable to hold the spell. The beast struggled against his magical bonds, tearing through the veil of magic with his incredible strength.

Swatting aside an oncoming Wonderwoman, Doomsday aimed a punch at Raven, who immediately shielded herself with a wall of energy. The blow shattered her magical wall, sending her hurtling towards the ground. While the barrier had weakened the attack, she still found herself unable to continue the fight.

Raven gasped in shock at how powerful the creature was. Looking at the assembled villains, she realized that they if things continued like this, they would have little other choice but to retreat. As if hearing her thoughts, Wonderwoman activated the COM link. "J'onn, most of us are down. We need backup."

"The League is currently spread very thin… is the situation dire."

Wonderwoman watched as her teammates made their futile attempts to fight the beast. "Yeah… Deathstroke came here to collect those villains we defeated, and he brought Doomsday with him."

"Impossible… Superman sent him to a different dimension." The Martian replied, sounding resolute.

"Well apparently he had some help getting back. Deathstoke's using us as test subjects to see how powerful his new weapon is."

The Martian sat in though for a few moments. "If what you say is true, then this situation is indeed as serious as you claim. I will come personally to aid you this time. Mr. Terrific can manage the Watchtower in my absence."

"Yeah, while J'onn's out I'll see if I can find you guys some help." Mr. Terrific replied through the communicator.

Wonderwoman nodded to herself. "Fine… just hurry."

Deactivating her communicator, the Amazon princess rejoined the battle to find that Doomsday had rendered Vixen unconscious and grounded Starfire. Charging forward, she released a volley of punches at the creature, sending him flying into a tree. Roaring in fury, the beast shook of the attack, ripping up the tree by its trunk. Using the tree as a giant club, Doomsday landed a blow on Wonderwoman, knocking her to the ground. Bearing down on his prey, the beast swung the tree trunk forward.

Feeling weary, Wonderwoman closed her eyes, bracing herself for the impact, but was surprised when it did not come. She looked up from her spot on the ground as the Martian materialized in front of her. Charging forward, the Martian charged forward to meet his opponent. Enlarging his fist, J'onn beat the creature over and over again, delivering punishing blows to the beast in an attempt to knock it out. The beast dropped the tree, raising its arms in defense. Pulling his fist back, the Martian landed a powerful blow to Doomsday's hideous face, sending him flying headfirst into a boulder. Growling in anger, the beast shook of the attack. Lifting the boulder over his head, Doomsday tossed it at his opponent. A look of surprise appeared on the Martian's face as the boulder crushed his body into the ground.

Raven stared at the terrible sight, wishing that she had the strength left to help. Looking up, her eyes caught an interesting sight. She gasped in shock as the Martian fazed through the stone like a ghost, emerging unscathed. Wonderwoman attempted to attack again, but the beast pummeled her injured form mercilessly, rendering her unconscious.

The beast roared again, seizing him by the hands. The Martian struggled for a few moments, but was easily overpowered by his opponent's superior strength. In one swift motion, the beast lifted his body, slamming him headfirst into the woods. As the Martian's body flew through the forest, his body smashed through the trees, unable to focus enough to stop it.

Tearing through the rows of trees, Doomsday planted a powerful blow in the Martian's chest pushing him further into the ground. The Martian groaned in pain as he fazed through the ground, reappearing several yards away. Staring at his opponent, he knew that he couldn't keep this up forever. "J'onn J'onzz to Watchtower… Have you found any reinforcements?"

"You're in luck. Superman and a few other guys just came back from their missions. I've already sent them."

No sooner had Mr. Terrific finished speaking that Superman appeared in front of him. "I'll take care of this."

The Martian nodded, as he stood up to help. "Very well… What about the others."

Superman nodded. "I already had Mr. Terrific transport Vixen and Starfire back to the Watchtower."

Spotting his new opponent, Doomsday charged forward to attack. Reacting quickly, Superman blasted the creature with his heat vision slowing him down long enough to get away. The two fought, matching each other's blows.

Wonderwoman carried the exhausted Raven to safety, supporting her limp form. "We're going back to the Watchtower too?" she said to the barely conscious girl.

"Sorry, but I can't let you leave." Warp replied, moving within a few feet of them.

Wonderwoman removed the communicator from her ear to contact the Watchtower, but the futuristic villain anticipated this action and fired his laser, destroying the device. The Amazon princess glared at her new opponent, placing Raven's exhausted form on the ground, as she prepared to combat her new adversary. She swung her fist at him, but he dodged sideways, escaping the blow by inches.

Using his rockets, Warp floated above their heads, firing missiles down upon her. Seeing his game, Wonderwoman flew into the air to combat him on equal grounds. Seizing the opportunity, the futuristic villain fired off multiple lasers blasts, but she reflected them using her metal wristbands.

"Not bad… but that was a distraction." He relied with a cocky grin. Wonderwoman turned around to see a missile flying towards Raven's unconscious form.

In a flash of light, two more figures appeared. Beast Boy stood protectively in front of Raven's body, as Cyborg blasted Warp's missile out of the sky. "Booyah!" the metal hero shouted, firing off missiles of his adversary.

"Get Raven out of here." Beast Boy shouted, pressing his fingers to the COM link.

"Roger…" Mr. Terrific replied. In a matter of moments light engulfed their bodies, returning the former Titans to the Watchtower.

Warp scowled in annoyance as he dodged Cyborg's energy blasts. Distracted by the new arrivals, he turned around just in time to see Wonderwoman's fist. The blow stuck him in the jaw, sending the futuristic villain flying. Darting forward, the Amazon princess tore the rocket boosters off of his suit, causing him to fall headfirst towards the ground.

Slade watched the entire battle from a considerable distance, looking slightly disappointed that it wasn't turning out as well as he had hoped. Not only were Superman and the Martian holding their own against Doomsday, but many of the others had escaped. "Get Warp, we're leaving…" he ordered. Captain Cold nodded, running into the battle to retrieve his fallen comrade.

Catching sight of the frosty villain, Wonderwoman moved forward to engage him in battle. Despite exerting all of her effort, she found that her injuries were staring to wear her down.

Seeing his opponent, Captain Cold fired a blast of ice from his weapon as she aimed a kick at him, effectively freezing her legs. She fell onto the ground, attempting to free herself. Seizing his chance, the icy villain froze her entire body, rendering her immobile.

Walking over to Warp, Captain Cold hoisted the unconscious form over his shoulders, allowing them to escape.

Slade joined the other villains, looking thoroughly irritated. Pressing a button on Warp's wristband, a large vortex appeared behind them. Slade leapt through the vortex, followed by Captain Cold carrying Warp's unconscious form. Superman shot away from the battle like a bullet, attempting to reach the portal in time. His body collided with a tree as he missed it by seconds.

The Man of Steel rejoined the battle, sending the creature flying into the nearby tree. He turned to Cyborg with a curious look on his face. "I wonder why Doomsday is taking orders from those guys? It doesn't make any sense."

Cyborg grinned, looking confident. "I think I found out. Those freaks planted a device in his head. I got a feeling that Slade's using that to control Doomsday."

Superman activated his x-ray vision for a few moments, confirming what Cyborg had just told him. "Did you hear that J'onn?"

The Martian nodded in response, having read the idea in Superman's mind.

Charging forward, the Man of Steel grappled with the creature, their strength nearly equal. Distracted by the fight, Doomsday did not see the Martian phasing through the ground behind him. Reaching forward, J'onn phased his hand into the creature's head, tearing out the device.

Doomsday howled in rage, nailing the Martian in the chest with his elbow. J'onn flew ten feet backwards, catching himself before his impact. The beast roared in pain, gripping the sides of his head in a deranged manner. After a few moments of thrashing around, he fell to the ground, losing consciousness.

With a sigh of relief, Superman seized his chance to free Wonderwoman. Focusing his heat vision at the base of the ice, the substance melted, leaving the irritated Amazon standing in the mud.

The Martian approached Doomsday's body, eying him carefully for a few moments. "I sense no mental activity, he has been rendered unconscious from the shock of my removing the device."

Superman nodded. "We'll take him back to the Watchtower and place him in our highest security cell." His words earned a collective nod from the other heroes. Lifting his body up, Superman disappeared along with the other heroes. In a matter of moments, they had reappeared in the Watchtower's main room. The Man of Steel heaved the gigantic villain over his shoulders, carrying Doomsday to the prison hold. J'onn flew towards the control room, hoping that someone was present to discuss the fate of the beast. Wonderwoman limped a few steps before kicking off into the air, following after Superman.

Cyborg was the last to leave the transportation machine. Turning his back on the two founding members, he proceeded towards the hallway that led to the Space Station's infirmary. No doubt Raven and Starfire were in intensive care, and Beast Boy had probably already gone ahead to provide moral support.

**WITH J'ONN**

The Martian ascended the staircase leading to the bridge. As he entered, he was grateful to see that someone was already there. Green Lantern and Batman were standing across the room, engaged in conversation with Aquaman. Mr. Terrific sat by the main computer, monitoring the active missions. Green Arrow and Steel stood to his left.

J'onn J'onzz nodded towards the group of heroes, taking his seat from Mr. Terrific. Placing his hand on the transmitter, he spoke into it. "All available founding members please report to the main control room. That is all." He commanded. Motioning for silence, the other heroes in the room turned their attention towards him. "We have some matters to discuss."

"Shouldn't you wait until all of the founding members arrive?" Batman stated, looking resolute.

"I believe that we should discuss this now. This matter is not one that requires too much explanation, and I am sure that Mr. Terrific has already mentioned something about what I am about to say. Those of you who are not founding members may stay."

Green Arrow, who had stood up to leave, exchanged glances with Aquaman and Mr. Terrific before sitting back down.

Batman nodded towards the Martina. "Let me guess, this is about Doomsday. Mr. Terrific mentioned that you guys were able to stop him."

The Martian returned his nod, a serious expression on his face. "Indeed, but what I have come here to discuss is what we are to do with the creature."

The doors shifted open with a metallic clang, allowing Superman to enter. Shayera followed him, supporting an injured Wonderwoman by the arm. Flash brought up the rear, as the doors slammed shut behind him.

"Glad you could make it." The Martian said, earning a collective greeting from the other founding members. "Now that we are all present, we may discuss this matter together."

"I say we launch him into space." Green Lantern replied. "He's a government experiment that can't be controlled, and he possesses strength and endurance surpassing even that of Superman."

"I second that notion." Shayera replied. "That's what we would do on Thanagar."

Green Arrow looked slightly hesitant. "This is Earth, not Thanagar. He may be dangerous, but are you sure that blasting him into space is the best option."

Mr. Terrific shook his head. "I agree with Arrow… Are we any better if we dispose of his life like that? I think we should turn him over to the government and let them sanction him."

"We already know that the U.S. government wasn't able to control him. He's too dangerous to imprison." John Stewart retaliated. "If we don't find a way to contain him, or eliminate him, Doomsday could easily cost people their lives."

Aquaman nodded his agreement. "Exactly… we need to find away to stop him no matter what the cost."

Wonderwoman frowned. "I don't like the idea of killing… but is an artificially created monster really worth risking the lives of innocent people.

The Martian watched them bicker, searching his own brain for the answer. After a few moments, something came to mind. "I have an idea." He declared, causing the other heroes to turn towards him expectantly.

"What if we were to transport him to a different dimension again?" the Martian asked.

Batman shot him a skeptical look. "I don't think that your idea would work… The villains found him even after Superman tried it. You think they can't do it again?"

J'onn J'onzz sat in thought for a few moments before nodding. "Very well. What would you suggest then?"

The Caped Crusader smiled for the first time all day. "I might have a idea. What if we exile the beast to an uninhabited planet?"

Mr. Terrific turned around in is chair. "Wait, didn't you try that on Bizarro once?" he asked, turning to the Man of Steel.

Superman nodded. "Yeah, and he always found a way back to Earth. Perhaps this plan isn't such a good idea either."

"Maybe…" Batman said. "But I don't think that anyone has an interest in Doomsday apart from those villains, and I'm willing to bet that they have no intention of journeying through space just to find one villain on a single planet."

Green Lantern nodded. "Not a bad idea. Deathstroke only seems to care Earth, but doesn't really care much about the rest of the galaxy."

"We'll stick with Batman's plan." The Martian replied. "Doe anyone raise any objections."

Flash shook his head. "Nope… I can't say that I could have come up with a better idea."

Nevertheless, we shall speak to them when they arrive later on."

"What if Deathstroke's group tries to spring him from the Watchtower holding cell." Aquaman asked.

Mr. Terrific shook his head. "They can't… The Watchtower is equipped with technology that prevents anyone from entering with teleportation, unless it is through our own matter transporter. We keep track of those types of things."

"So it decided." The Martian replied, earning the approval from his fellow heroes.

**IN THE INFIRMARY**

Cyborg sat outside his teammates' beds, looking relieved that they were in decent shape for having been involved in such a brutal fight. "You guys really gave your all." He said, eying their faces. He spared a glance at Vixen's injured form, but quickly returned his focus to his friends.

Starfire lay unconscious on her hospital bed. She would probably be fine in a day or so, but the beating she had taken was severe enough to have her out for the rest of the night. Raven was unconscious on the bed a few feet away, murmuring incantations in her sleep. Without the proper focusing, the spells had no affect.

Beast Boy sat in between the two beds, hoping that they would wake up soon. Listening to Raven talking in her sleep, he couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter. "Typical Raven… always worrying about something, even when she's out cold."

The young sorceress stirred in her bed, causing Cyborg and Beast Boy to turn their attention towards her. Sitting up, she began to rub her eyes.

"Rae, you all right." The green changeling asked.

Raven indulged in one of her rare smiles. "I'm fine. You were… worried about me?" she asked, looking up at the green skinned hero.

Beast Boy smiled. "Of course, we've been friends for years now."

"Exactly… As far as I'm concerned, we'll always be friends." The metal hero replied, flashing a wide grin at his friends. "So… you feeling better, Rae."

The young sorceress nodded. "A little. My exhaustion is mostly due to that battle I was in. My teammates let me fight one of the more powerful villains by myself. Not to mention the fact that we were outnumbered."

"How are you feeling now?" Beast Boy asked.

Raven groaned in pain for a second, sounding a little weary. "I'm really tired after that battle, but I should be fine by tomorrow. Using so many spells drained me of my magic."

"Why? You usually were not as tired after battle when we were the Teen Titans." He asked.

The female hero nodded. "True, but its like I mentioned before. My magic is chaos magic, involving demonic energy. The new magic that I've been practicing and using is different to such an extent that I have to exert a much greater amount of effort into performing spells." She replied, looking thoroughly exhausted.

Beast Boy pushed her back down onto the bed. "Go on and get some rest Rae." He replied, as he stood up to leave the room. Walking forward a few steps, the green changeling disappeared through the doorway.

"We'll be back soon." Cyborg replied with a nod as he left the room.

Raven watched them leave, feeling slightly disappointed that they hadn't stayed longer. "I'm growing soft…" she muttered to herself as she sat back in her bed. Grateful to have her friends, she drifted off into a deep sleep.

NOTE TO READERS: Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter so please review. It motivates me to write faster. I really don't get many reviews and it would be nice to have a response for a change. I want to hear the thoughts of the readers.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Chaos Magic **

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters or logos. 

Slade Wilson sat behind his desk, looking anxious as a knock on the door disturbed his thoughts. Opening the large metal door, a skinny young man walked into the room, clutching his pet cat. The boy had dark colored clothing and wore an unpleasant expression.

The masked villain grinned behind his mask, as he caught sight of his visitor. "Ah… Klarion, what a pleasant surprise." The warlock glared at Slade for a few moments before taking the seat in front of his desk. "I hope that you have a good reason for calling me in the middle of the night." He replied, stroking his cat with affection.

"I assure you I do." He replied nonchalantly. "I need your help with some magic related issues."

Klarion glared at him for a few moments. "And what is in it for me?"

His selfish question earned him a sadistic laugh from the masked crime lord. "Well, my friend… had it not been for me, you would still be trapped in that crystal ball. I assume that you wish to settle your score with Jason Blood and Batman?"

The warlock sat back in his chair, looking grim. "While it would cause me pleasure to see the end of those fools, I currently wish to obtain greater power."

"And so you shall." Slade interrupted. "As soon as you help me find… the third Tri-gem."

Klarion's eyes widened in shock as her heard the last word. "Are you mad? You plan to interfere with powers that no mortal can fully understand?"

Slade smiled behind his mask as he continued to eye the witch boy. "I understand more about those trinkets than you might think… but yes, I do. If you help me with this, I will grant you a place in my new world order."

The young warlock sat in thought for a moment. "Hmm… perhaps I can be of assistance… But this may require some research. It is true that I am talented in the dark arts, but I am not well versed in demonic spells. This may take me some time."

"Granted." The masked crime lord replied.

Klarion observed his employer for a few moments before speaking again. "By the way… what do you plan to do with such dangerous magical artifacts?"

"I plan to return them to their proper resting place… and use their power to my own ends… With such power, I can create new world where free-thinkers such as ourselves will reign supreme."

The witch boy turned his back to the masked villain as he left Slade's office, the steel doors slamming shut behind him as he exited the room.

**IN DOCTOR FATE'S TOWER **

Raven sat patiently in her seat, waiting for the meeting to begin. It had been a week since her release from the infirmary, and her powers had returned. She had spent the few days with Doctor Fate, attempting to figure out the mystery of the crystals, which her demon father had left behind before his defeat. Glancing around the table, she realized how few sorcerers that there were in the Justice League, and each of them was so different. The magic users around the table sat in silence, their thoughts deep in meditation.

Sitting to her left was Zatanna Zatara, a sorceress and part-time magician who did magic shows in Gotham. The magician wore a form-fitting magicians outfit and a large lop hat on her head, holding a trademark magician's wand between her fingers. While she usually performed illusions on stage, she was known to be quite a talented sorceress.

Glancing to her right, Raven caught sight of a large man who had introduced himself to her as Jason Blood. Having spoken to Batman, Raven knew more about this man than he had said. While he looked relatively normal on the outside, Jason was a man whose immortal soul had been bound to a demon for eternity by the wizard, Merlin. While this action had granted him eternal life, it was actually a punishment for what he had done in ancient times. As a hero, he bore the demon's name, Etrigan. Having been bound to her demon father from the moment of her birth, the young sorceress felt sympathy for this man.

Aquaman stood by the door, a large trident grasped tightly in his hand. Being the ruler of Atlantis, Aquaman had the power of the trident, which allowed him to use a variety of magic spells. Stepping away from the door, the Atlantian allowed Doctor Fate to enter the room.

As the renowned mystic made his presence known, the three spell casters sitting around the table turned their attention towards him. Sitting across from Raven, Dr. Fate decided that now was the time to explain what this meeting was about. "I'm sure that you're all wondering why I have called you here?" His question earned a solemn nod from the magic users.

"I have a task to perform, and I require assistance from others." He replied.

Jason Blood leaned forward, looking unsure of what to say. "Why us?"

Doctor Fate folded his hands in the table before answering. "Because we are the only members of the Justice League who possess magical powers. I believe that I have already told you about the three Tri-gems?" he asked, earning a collective nod from the other heroes. "I require your help to perform a spell to locate the last of the three crystals."

Raven shook her head. "Are you sure that there is such a spell. We've been searching for nearly a month and haven't found any spell like that."

"True… but there is a way." He replied.

Zatanna gave him a skeptical look. "The League has exerted resources to help us in searching for a solution to this problem. If you know what to do, then why are we needed?"

Doctor Fate nodded. "I will explain soon enough, but you must first hear my plan… I believe that a simple locator spell will suffice. If we combine it with a spiritual spell, than it may be enough to locate the crystal."

"Impossible." Zatanna stated, looking slightly disbelieving. "If such a spell would work, then I would have performed it weeks ago."

"You misunderstand me." Fate replied. "Allow me to explain… The Tri-gems bear the essence of Trigon. If we use a locator spell in conjunction with spiritualistic magic, there is a chance that we can get some leads."

Aquaman cocked an eyebrow. "If you can do this, then why do you need our help?"

"Because the crystal could be anywhere… so it is imperative that my spell has the power to search the entire world. To perform such a large scale spell, and combine two types of magic together, I will require assistance."

Raven's eyes widened slightly as she came to an understanding of the process. "So, if we cast our spells while you focus your energies on a spiritualistic ceremony, then the two types of magic will combine to create the desire result?"

"Precisely." Doctor Fate replied, inclining his head towards the young sorceress. "Your intuitive abilities impress me once again." At her mentor's words, the young spell caster felt proud, but hid her emotion behind a mask of indifference.

"Does anyone have any objections towards aiding me with the ceremony?" the masked magician asked. The mystic stared around the table for a few times, but his fellow heroes raised no concerns. Pulling a book from the shelf behind him, the wooden shelf slid aside to reveal a secret doorway, leading to the lower levels of his tower.

"Follow me." He replied, entering the passageway. Raven exchanged glances with her fellow spell caster before following him. The company marched on silently, carefully groping their way through the dark passage down a winding staircase. Aquaman brought up the rear of the group, closing the passage behind him. As the bookshelf slid back into place, the darkness swallowed the group. Igniting her wand with a spell, Zatanna attempted to provide a source of light for the others, but to her surprise, it was not needed.

"Thank you Zatanna, but that is not necessary." Doctor Fate replied. Muttering a brief incantation, he filled the hallway with a ghostly glow. The strange knew light appeared not to have a source and surrounded the group, lighting the dingy passageways.

Raven continued to walk, almost bumping into Etrigan as the group came to a halt. Light filled the hallway as her mentor pushed open the door leading into a new room. Exiting the cramped passage, they found themselves in a very large room. As she observed her surroundings, Raven's eyes caught sight of something strange… Many symbols were painted on the floor, forming a circular pattern. Lit torches lined the sides of the symbol, casting their eerie glow over the floor of the room. In between each of the torches was a smaller symbol.

Doctor Fate stood in the center of the circle, while his wife stood on one of smaller symbols just outside the main circle.

"Please take your places on the remaining symbols." He instructed, gesturing towards the group. Raven stood on the symbol to her mentor's left side, while Jason Blood and Zatanna took the two remaining places across from Doctor Fate.

At once, the heroes prepared for the ceremony. Zatanna drew her wand out, pointing it towards the symbols painted on the floor.

Jason Blood stood in his space, shifting uncomfortably. "Gone, Gone the form of man. Rise the Demon, Etrigan!" he chanted out loud.

Raven stared at the gentleman standing before her as he transformed before her eyes. Hellfire engulfed his form, distorting his features. The man's eyes burned crimson red, and his face became twisted and inhuman. As the fires dispersed, the group of heroes stood in awe of what he had become. A hideous, man-sized demon stood where Jason Blood had been moments before. While she was slightly surprised at this, she kept her facial expressions in check. Looking around the room, none of the other heroes appeared to be fazed by his transformation either. Considering that she was a relatively new member of the League, it was likely that everyone else in the room knew about his powers.

"We are ready to begin…" Doctor Fate replied. "Now, Aquaman."

Aquaman nodded towards the group as he placed the end of his trident on the edge of the circle on the floor. Energy spread from the tip of his weapon, illuminating the symbols on the floor. The light spread throughout the seal as if an invisible hand were guiding the light. After a few moments, the entire seal was giving off an eerie light. The blue-clad sorceress watched in interest as the light spread to the markings below her feet.

"Now cast your spells. Focus on the finding Trigon's demonic essence." Doctor Fate ordered the group. Seconds later, his feet left the ground, dangling above the floor as his mind went into a spiritual trance. Raising their hands in the air, the magic users cast their locator spell into the center of the seal where Doctor Fate was. Four separate spells collided in the air, the magical energies mixing together as one. The spells formed an enveloping bright light, which spread throughout the entire room.

Raven exerted all of her effort into maintaining the spell, straining her aura from the complexity of the magical fusion, taking place. After a few minutes of intense strain, the light began to fade, allowing the heroes to open their eyes. As quickly as it had started, the ceremony was over. Raven fell backwards in exhaustion, catching herself before hitting the ground. Zatanna let her wand slip from beneath her fingertips as she fell to her knees. Dr. Fate's own wife had passed out from exhaustion, her magical aura depleted from the time being. The least affected by the spell was Etrigan. While the demon's breaths were slow and labored, he was still standing.

The mystic himself was sprawled out on the floor, struggling to get to his feet. Aquaman stepped forward to help the exhausted sorcerer, leading him over to a chair. After a few moments, the other heroes recovered enough to take seats by a large table in the room.

As the others found a seat, Doctor Fate turned his chair around to see his fellow heroes, all of who were equally as tired as himself.

"Did you find out what you needed?" Etrigan grunted, glaring unpleasantly at the renowned mystic sitting by the fire.

Doctor Fate, inclined his head, attempting to focus. "Indeed…"

"Where is the next crystal then?" Raven asked, staring at him expectantly.

Her mentor simply shook his head in response to her question. "In truth, I was not searching for the location of the next crystal… I was looking for anything that I could find about the power of the Tri-gems."

Zatanna nodded. "What do you know?"

"Something terrible for us." Doctor Fate replied as he sat back in his chair. The renowned mystic had an anxious look in his eye. "I do not know exactly what kind of power they will grant the one who gathers them, but I do know something of equal relevance… The items in question must be placed atop the Alter of Trigon for the spell to work."

"Where's the Alter of Trigon?" Raven asked.

"I thought that would be obvious." He replied. Her mentor glanced at her for a moment before answering. "The alter is located deep within Trigon's domain… a dark dimension where evil never sleeps.

Raven gasped at the idea, unable to hide her emotion.

Doctor Fate nodded. "I shall report this new information to the founding members of the Justice League. You may all leave." He finished, disappearing in a flash of light.

Zatanna followed suit, phasing through the wall like a ghost as Etrigan took the stairs. Not wishing to use the dingy passage, Raven slipped through a vortex of swirling shadows, reappearing next to her bed in the room she had been living in for the past few months in Doctor Fate's tower. Climbing into the bed, she drifted off to sleep, hoping to see her friends at the Watchtower the next day.

**BACK WITH SLADE**

It had taken a few hours, but they Klarion had finally found all of the ingredients for the locator spell, many of which had been quite expensive. Mixing the ingredients together, he waited for the potion to come to a boil. "Place the crystal that you have obtained, on the ceremonial mat." He stated.

Slade looked surprised, but simply nodded in response. "Very well then…" Walking forward, he followed the boy's instructions.

"Where is the third of the Tri-gems hidden?" the warlock spoke to the cauldron. The potion bubbled, releasing a billowing cloud of smoke. Slowly, an image began to form.

"Fire?" the masked villain asked, looking angry. "What does it mean?"

"Ah… the third of the Tri-gems is in an obvious place…" the witch boy replied, giving his employer a twisted smile.

"Where?" Slade asked.

Klarion glared at the crime lord before answering his question. "The last of the Tri-gems is in a place where no mortal would dare to go… the pits of Tartarus."

With an exasperated air, Slade shoved the warlock aside, heading towards his office to think about this new development.

NOTE TO READERS: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Yeah, it wasn't the action packed fighting that I had been giving readers in previous chapters, but it was more of an explanation chapter to create another turning point in the story. I have some ideas on how to bring this story to a close, but even so, I still have a ways to go before the end. To fully understand this chapter, it's probably a better idea if you've seen Justice League, or Justice League Unlimited. I even took inspriration from the Batman cartoon episode in which Etrigan and Klarion appear in. Please review, I'm starting to wonder what people think of my story.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: The Gates of Tartarus**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters or logos.

Slade was getting closer to the last crystal. He could feel its presence in the air, as his team of villains crept through the lands of Themyscira. Sinestro floated above Slade, watching the trees for a possible attack on the main group, while the rest of the team stationed themselves in a rectangular formation around their leader. Metallo and Clayface stood in the front, while Warp and Klarion brought up the rear of the group.

The group traveled at a moderate pace, every step leading him closer to the gates of Tartarus. Observing his surroundings, the masked villain knew that this infiltration was far too easy. They were traveling through Themyscira, the land presided over by the Greek Gods and protected by a race of Amazonian Warriors. Slade was an excellent tactician, having plotted this longer route, rather than engaging the Amazons in direct combat. While he could have consolidated the members of the Secret Society, and launched a full-scale invasion of Themyscira, he knew that such an irrational plan would attract the attention of the Justice League. No… it was better if they avoided conflict for the time being. There was an advantage in using the stealth approach, and if they were able to complete the mission without running into any major opposition, then it would be much easier.

The villains walk on in silence, watching the forest for any signs of movement. Moving through the overgrowth was an excellent way to avoid the Amazon warriors, but it was also much more difficult for them as well. In addition to the venomous reptiles, jungle beasts, and poisonous plants, there was also a more limited visibility, allowing any potential enemies to hide in the surrounding trees. Staring around at his collaborators, Deathstroke could tell that they were considering the possibility of an ambush. Each of them remained on high alert, as they continued their trek through the forest. Warp had activated his scanners, attempting to detect any trace of movement in the surroundings trees, while Clayface had detached small pieces of his body to blend in with the surroundings, and act as spies.

Hearing a noise in the woods, Slade knew that someone was drawing near. Reaching into his utility belt, the masked villain withdrew a handful of blades. Listening carefully to his surroundings, the villain reacted with lightning reflexes, tossing a fistful of knives into the overgrowth. A small scream echoed through the clearing, attracting the attention of the other villains. "Check it out." He ordered.

Metallo nodded, walking forward to find the source of the noise. Pushing aside the nearby bush, the android found a young Amazon. The female warrior stumbled forward, her mouth moving as if to say something. Falling backwards, her body lay motionless on the ground, the knives having pierced all of her vital organs in one shot. Her mouth and eyes were still open, but she displayed no emotion. In a matter of moments, all signs of life had disappeared from her body. The android opened his mouth in shock for a few moments, staring in awe at how easily the group's leader had killed her.

Slade glanced through to brush at the dead body, looking pleased with the result of his attack. His gaze shifted to the group of villains, all of which were staring at their leader in shock. The masked villain wore a pitiless expression behind his mask. "She felt little pain…" he replied nonchalantly. "Her death was swift. She should be fortunate that I chose to be merciful, rather than prolong her suffering. Had she had the chance to fight, the result would have been the same."

Clayface was the first to recover. "What should we do with the body?"

"It doesn't matter… by the time her Amazon sisters find her, it will be too late." The masked villain replied.

Ignoring the dead corpse, the villains continued their journey through the trees. Pushing aside another bush, Slade could see their destination within his grasp. The gates of Tartarus were at the bottom of the hill, nestled among the stone remains of an ancient building. The large pillars were obviously of Greek design, having been created long before the modern day. Queen Hippolyta herself sat on a throne, overlooking the gates, while several Amazonian Warriors guarded the area from all sides. Observing the site below, Slade knew that storming the gates of Tartarus would undoubtedly draw them into a full-scale battle, something that he had been hoping to avoid. Staring back at his group, the masked villain decided that the odds were decent.

Klarion joined his employer in observing the female warriors through the trees. "So… what do you plan for us to do? We appear to be severely outnumbered."

Deathstroke shrugged off the comment, looking indifferent. "The Amazon's are strong, but they are no match for the most powerful weapon of all… cunning." Turning to the gelatinous shape shifter standing behind him, Clayface seemed to immediately understand the idea. Splitting himself in half, one part of his body transformed into an exact duplicate of the Amazon warrior whom they had killed in the forest.

The masked villain nodded his head in approval. "You know what to do." He said to Clayface.

The half of the shape shifter that had taken the form of the Amazon returned the nod, walking down the hill towards the gates. A few minutes passed in silence, as Slade watched the site through a pair of binoculars. Clayface had relieved the guard at the gate from duty, taking up the post by the large doors. Clayface's other half gave him a reassuring nod before they decided to move in for the attack.

Even from, behind his mask, the villainous leader appeared to be pleased with how well things were going so far. "Now… we strike." He ordered to his group. "Start with an aerial assault."

Sinestro and Warp nodded in acknowledgement, before flying towards the gates of Tartarus. As expected, their presence did not go unnoticed.

Queen Hippolyta stood up from her throne, having sighted the interlopers. "Men approach from the sky. Defend our kingdom!" She cried out, signaling for the Amazon guards. In a matter of moments, the dozens of Amazon warriors stationed around the gates drew their swords out, ready to face the threat. As the two villains drew closer, the archers drew their bows, firing arrows into the sky.

Sinestro looked amused, creating a wall of energy wit his yellow power ring. The rain of arrows bounced against the wall, falling harmlessly to the ground. Seeing his opportunity, the former Green Lantern created a barrier around Warp, allowing them both to arrive safely on the ground.

Hippolyta stepped forward, drawing out her sword. "How dare you defile the land of the gods. Leave as you came and we shall spare your lives." At her words, the Amazon warriors raised their swords, closing in on the two villains like tigers who had cornered their prey. "What say you?" she asked, brandishing her sword in their direction.

Warp laughed in an unpleasant tone. "I say this!" he replied, firing off a few rounds of missiles from the weapons on his armor. The missiles exploded on contact, injuring many of the female warriors in the blast.

The Amazon Queen nodded her head. "You had your chance." She replied, motioning towards her warriors. "Remove them."

In a matter of seconds, the Amazons had run forward, charging at the villains. As they closed in for the finishing blow, the female warriors were thrown backwards by a wall of yellow energy. Sinestro stood behind the barrier, looking amused by their futile attempts to stop them. Three more Amazons ran forward, holding their swords in the air. Creating a number of energy swords with his power ring, Sinestro sent them flying in the direction of the oncoming warriors. Caught off guard by this unfamiliar attack, the Amazons were forced to raise their shields top block the assault. The energy blades swung at them repeatedly, driving them back. Grinning in satisfaction, the former Green Lantern created a large mace with his power ring, striking them from behind. The three warriors fell unconscious, lying motionless on the ground.

The rest of the Amazons charged forward to help their fallen comrades. As they raised their swords, Clayface appeared in front of them, their swords bouncing helplessly off of his gelatinous form. Turning around, the Amazons realized that they were surrounded by multiple enemies.

Klarion tossed his cat into the air, the animal changed into a humanoid form, attacking the Amazons with its claws.

Metallo leapt from the bushes, seizing one of them by the throat. The female warrior attempted to resist, but was no match for his mechanical strength. Lifting her by the neck, he tossed her headfirst into a stone pillar, knocking her out cold. More of them stuck the android with their swords, but to no avail. Their weapons were useless against his metal body. Focusing on the metallic villain, they were caught off guard by Deathstroke, who had joined the battle in such a stealthy manner that he had not been seen until now.

Slade seizing them by the heads, he smashed their heads together, knocking the out. The masked villain turned in time to see two more Amazons charging at him with their swords drawn. With inhuman speed, the masked villain drew his katana. Gripping the blade in his hand, he struck a defensive stance. The two warriors swung wildly at him, placing everything that they could muster into each blow. Slade could only smile sadistically as he effortlessly parried their blows. Seeing an opening, the masked villain ran one of them through with his blade. The second one seized her chance to attack him while his blade was down, but was unable to touch him with her weapon. Flipping into the air with his blade still planted in one of the Amazons, he kicked her in the head, sending her flying several feet. The second warrior lay on the ground, her unconscious form leaning against one of the Greek pillars.

Seeing the power of these enemies, Hippolyta felt a twinge of fear course through her being. Slade approached the Amazon Queen, a twisted smile hidden behind his mask. Seeing her opponent, she raised her sword in defense, but to her surprise, the masked villain sheathed his katana.

Slade approached her, looking victorious. "I have no quarrel with your people." He stated in a calm voice. "Grant us passage through the gates of Tartarus, and I promise to leave your island in peace."

Hippolyta raised her sword in a defensive position. "I was assigned by the gods to protect this land, and I shall not allow you to enter the gates of Tartarus. A true warrior does not run from battle. We shall always fight to protect our home."

Slade shook his head, looking indifferent. "Very well then. Have it your way." The masked villain motioned to the Amazon standing by the gate. The warrior seized the mechanism in front of the doors, opening it.

The Amazon Queen gasped in shock. "Why?" she asked.

The Amazon warrior laughed in a deep voice. "Sorry to disappoint you, your majesty, but the woman you see here is dead." As she said this, the woman melted into liquid clay, rejoining Clayface's main body.

The doors opened, revealing the fiery pit beyond the gates. "Through the gates." Slade ordered. "Klarion! Do it!"

The young warlock stepped before the gates of Tartarus, creating a path out of dark magic. "This path will lead us to what you seek." He replied, stepping through the gates. Warp, Sinestro, and Clayface joined him.

"You shall not pass." Hippolyta shouted, swinging her sword. The masked villain smiled, seizing the end of her blade, and tossing it into away. She stepped forward, but he backhanded her across the face, before dashing through the gates. The defeated Amazons could only watch as the villains continued their journey into the fires of Tartarus.

**WATCHTOWER**

Once again, Raven and Doctor Fate stood before the founding members of the Justice League. Glancing around the counsel room, she realized how serious the situation had become. Even the normally cheerful Flash had become silent by the news.

Wonderwoman appeared to be the most unnerved by the news. "So… you're saying that you sensed a disturbance in the mystical alignment?" she asked.

Doctor Fate nodded. "Indeed I have. I sense that the gates of Tartarus have been forced open by an outside force."

The Amazon Princess shook her head. "My mother would not have let that happen. My Amazon sisters would have driven back any intruders."

The wizard shook his head. "I am sorry… but I felt the chaotic magic come forth from the fiery pit the moment it was opened. If I am not mistaken, something similar has happened before."

Shayera nodded. "Yeah, if Faust was able to break into Tartarus, what's stopping anyone else from doing it?"

Superman crossed his arms, looking slightly impatient. "If what you say is true, then we have to act now."

"Hold on there… nobody's saying we shouldn't, but we can't just send people into the depths of Tartarus without a plan." Green Lantern replied, casting a disapproving look at the Kryptonian.

The outburst earned a nod from Batman, who had remained silent until now. "First we have to figure out who we're sending into the fiery pits."

"Indeed…" Doctor Fate replied. "But I believe that we already know who needs to come… I implore that Raven, Etrigan, Zatanna, and myself be placed on this mission."

"Themyscira is my home, and my responsibility." Wonderwoman interrupted. "Let me handle things alone."

The wizard nodded. "While that is true princess, Raven is the one who has the closest connection to this situation."

"And what makes you say that?" Superman asked, leaning forward slightly.

"My basis for this idea is the fact that an organization of villains is after the Trig-gems, and ordinary men probably could not have breached the gates of Tartarus with such ease. If this organization has journeyed into the fiery pits, than it is safe to say that they have somehow found the location of the third crystal."

The Flash looked skeptical. "Are you completely sure about this? I mean… where is your proof?"

The Martian held up his hand to silence the red speedster. "I believe that Doctor Fate's theory has some valid points. When you add together all we have hear on this subject, it all make's sense. If we send our League members with magical powers on this mission, the advantage would be ours."

Wonderwoman shook her head. "Nevertheless… men are not allowed to enter Themyscira, and I don't think that Raven and Zatanna would be enough to fight a large group of powerful villains on their own."

The Dark Knight eyed her from across the table. "True, but I have a feeling that Doctor Fate's magical expertise might be a requirement for securing a safe passage through Tartarus."

"I've done it before." The Amazon princess retaliated.

"True… but you did have help, and if I'm not mistaken, you only ventured into certain parts of Tartarus. For any team to fully search and navigate that fiery pit, you need advanced magic… something that Doctor Fate can perform." Batman replied.

Wonderwoman finally agreed. "Very well… but I'm coming with them."

"Count me in too." Shayera added. "I've been there before, and my mace can protect us from enemy magic." Her proposal earned a nod from the rest of the founding members.

"It sounds like a decent plan. Does anyone have any objections?" J'onn J'onzz asked. No one raised any more concerns. "Is everyone ready?"

Doctor Fate nodded. "Indeed, they are all waiting in the main room by the transporters."

The Martian nodded. "Good… but proceed with caution."

NOTE TO READERS: Yeah, not much going on, **Please review**, not many people appear to be reviewing at this point, and I could use the motivation. I am grateful for those of you who have. Sorry for cutting off the story here, you'll see the rest of Tartarus in the next chapter.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21: Into Hellfire **

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters of logos.

Hades, the lord of Tartarus, sat on his throne watching in amusement as his servants tortured Felix Faust. While the Greek God had allied himself with the sorcerer for a brief period, the two had since become enemies. He had killed the treacherous sorcerer, but Faust's student Tala braved the gates of Tartarus to retrieve his spirit and placed his soul in Hephaestus' unstoppable weapon, the annihilator. Hades scowled in anger as he remembered the day that Faust had driven him from the throne of the underworld. While he hated to admit it, he owed a debt to Diana of Themyscira for helping him defeat Faust.

No longer amused by Faust's screams of agony, the Greek God motioned for his demons to remove the sorcerer from his presence. The man's immortal soul would forever pay for the crimes that he had committed against the gods, as Hades had trapped him in a crystal were he could no longer do any harm.

Sitting back on his throne, the lord of Tartarus began to relax. The moment of tranquility shattered as his thoughts were interrupted. The iron doors of his throne room burst open with a crash, revealing a small demon. The creature grasped a note in his hand, his legs wobbling as he approached the god of the dead. "My lord… we have word from the demons that a group of outsiders has breached the outers gates."

"WHAT!" Hades shouted, getting off of his throne. His calm demeanor had been replaced by a terrible fury and rage. "Have you captured the swine?"

The small demon cowered in fear before the wrath of the god. "No… but I just figured that you should be warned."

Hades smiled, looking much calmer than he had been seconds before. "If these intruders have recently entered through the front gates, then you should be capturing them. Bring these filth to me by any means necessary."

"Yes milord." The demon replied, slowly walking backwards away from his master.

"GO!" Hades bellowed, breathing a stream of hellfire from his mouth. The cowardly creature dodged the blast by an inch, scrambling for the door like a frightened child.

"Perhaps I should see these intruders off, personally…" the god of the dead muttered to himself. Getting off of his throne, Hades burned the hapless demon to ash with his fiery breath, before exiting the throne room. The day had been rather uneventful, and even a god needed a change of pace, once and a while.

MEANWHILE 

Raven soared through the air, steadily moving through the skies of Themyscira. This would probably be the one of the most important missions of her life, and perhaps the most dangerous. Even though she was the spawn of a demon, even Raven feared the fires of Tartarus. All humans and creatures with magical powers could sense the chaos of Tartarus, and she was no exception. No mortal would dare venture into the underworld, yet the Justice League was about to try. Thinking about her father, the young sorceress wasn't surprised that the third Tri-gem had been hidden in the foul depths of the underworld… a fitting place for one such as Trigon.

Her father was famous throughout the universe as the ultimate dimensional demon. Despite Earth being his domain, Trigon's powers were not limited to spreading chaos on a single planet. Creatures throughout the known galaxy feared his terrible power, the denizens of countless worlds having experienced his cruelty. From Tamaran to New Genesis, word of Trigon's terrible power had been made known to the universe.

Trapped in her thoughts, the young sorceress had momentarily forgotten that she was not alone in this mission. Wonderwoman and Doctor Fate were at the lead of the group, Zatanna flew in the center of the formation, while Shayera and Raven took up the rear to watch for any possible assault. While Etrigan couldn't fly, the demon easily kept up with the group by leaping through the trees. While he was large, the demon moved like an acrobat, and was able to stay with the group. The traveled at a steady pace, moving rapidly closer to their goal. As the group closed in around the gates of Tartarus, a terrible sit unfolded before their eyes.

Raven eyed the grim scene with disgust. As she lowered her altitude, the sight of dozens of bodies came into focus, each of the corpses soaked in blood. She had a feeling that this was Slade's personal work, as she could see the knives sticking through their vital organs.

Wonderwoman hastened as she caught sight of the stone structure leading to the large doors. The other heroes struggled to keep up with her as she shot toward the ground like a bullet. Pulling out of her dive at the last second, she turned over in midair, and slowed her descent. Landing on the stone floor, the Amazon Princess eyed the surrounding corpses with sorrow in her eyes. She could see that many of her Amazon sisters were moving the bodies from the scene, each of them working carefully as they carried the corpses to their final resting place in the cemetery.

As she approached the gates of Tartarus, a woman with long blonde hair intercepted her. The Amazon Princess immediately recognized her. Walking towards her mother, she embraced her for a few seconds before speaking. "Mother… it's been a long time."

"Indeed… but now is not the time for us to reminisce. A masked man and his group of killers came along and slaughtered you sisters." She said, turning away from the corpses of the fallen warriors.

Wonderwoman took a closer look at the bodies, choked back the tears that threatened to form in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I should have been here to protect you from these terrible people." She replied, her guilt beginning to grow. She had known each and every one of the deceased, and felt terrible that she had not been there to protect them. In her heart she knew that there was no way of knowing when this would happen, but she couldn't help but feel disgusted that someone would have the audacity to violate the sanctity of her people, and slaughter them in such an indiscriminate manner.

"Diana, I see you've brought friends to Themyscira, and I can also see you've brought men into our midst." She added, her eyes settling on Doctor Fate and Etrigan.

"I'm sorry mother, I know that men are not allowed on these lands, but this situation is much more dire then you could imagine." Wonderwoman nodded, looking resolute.

Hippolyta turned her back to the group before answering. "So you and your friends intend to journey into Tartarus?"

Her daughter nodded. "Yes mother, but maybe we should tell you what our purpose is."

The Amazon Queen walked back towards her throne, taking a seat so that she could listen. "You may tell me what you need to do…"

Doctor Fate was the first to speak. "What I am about to warn you about is of grave importance, but first I must ask in your highness has ever heard of the Demon, Trigon?" His question earned an uneasy nod from the queen, so he continued his story. "We have come to Themyscira, seeking a item left behind by this demon. I believe that this artifact is what they are after, and if those fiends who murdered your people are able to get their hands on it, I fear that countless worlds may suffer a terrible fate."

Hippolyta nodded. "Very well, I believe you. I too have heard terrible rumors of that accursed artifact in the fiery pits. In return, I grant you safe passage."

"Thank you milady." The wizard replied with a respectful bow. "We are in your debt."

"That is not necessary. In truth, I do not do this for the sole benefit of man's world, but rather for the safety of my people." She replied. Turning to her daughter, the Amazon Queen cast her a hopeful look. "Diana, be careful. One of those fiends appears to be skilled in sorcery, and not even we Amazons are immune to magic."

Wonderwoman gave her a confident expression. "Don't worry about me, Mother… Many of the members of my team are skilled magicians, capable of performing incredible feats of magic."

"Yeah… and my mace can disrupt enemy magic." Shayera cut in, looking equally as confident. "Don't worry, we don't need a babysitter. We're all perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves."

"I understand that, and I wish you all safe passage… Open the gates." Hippolyta ordered the guards. The Amazon's surrounding the doors pulled the mechanisms that kept the gates locked. Since the key to the underworld had been destroyed, this was the only method that they had been able to create to open the gigantic doors. With a metallic clang, the gears began to spin, and slowly but surely the gates of Tartarus opened. Beyond the doors lay a cavernous land filled with shadow and flame. The screams of the wicked echoed through the hellfire, creating an eerie feeling for those who heard it. Raven couldn't find the words to describe the terrible feeling of ominous dark magic that poured forth from the pits of Tartarus. Glancing around at the other magicians, Raven could tell that they could sense it too.

Wonderwoman dove headfirst into the fiery depths, but was unable to move any further. Recoiling in pain, she glared at the source of the barrier, which surrounded the door. Doctor Fate looked up at the stubborn Amazon.

"You must proceed with caution." The wizard replied. "The last time you journeyed into the fiery pit, your destination was clear. This time we have no idea where we are going, and if we become separated, it will become even more difficult to complete this mission."

The Amazon Princess shot him an angry look. "Are you suggesting that we just wait for them to get the crystal? We have a better chance to find it if we split up."

Doctor Fate eyed the stubborn Amazon, a look of exasperation hidden behind his helmet. "And what if we run into trouble… what will you do?"

"I can take care of myself." She retaliated.

Raven exchanged uneasy glances with Zatanna and Shayera, both of which were probably thinking the same thing. Etrigan snorted in annoyance, but said nothing to stop the argument. Apparently Wonderwoman's anger towards the deaths of her people was clouding her better judgment, and any experienced person knows that letting something like that affect you in such a way could lead you to your death.

Stepping forward, Shayera placed herself between the two of them like a parent trying to separate her children. "Calm down you two. I say we go along with the wizard's plan."

"Why?" Wonderwoman asked sounding clearly offended. "This is my home, and I intend to avenge the deaths of my people.

The Thanagarian shot her a look of disapproval. "Well princess, did you ever consider the possibility that you could be making a big mistake. If we split up, we'll be severely outnumbered if the bad guys are in a group. You saw what those maniacs did to you sisters, do you want the rest of us the end up the same way."

Doctor Fate nodded. "And there is also the fact that we do not know what to expect. The enemy could be ready for us, or the demons could attack our group. In addition to this, there is also that possibility that any one of us could become lost in the pits of Tartarus. If that were to happen, we would waste time searching for them."

"All right, I see your point." The Amazon Princess replied, looking defeated. "But remember, I'm the team's leader on this mission."

"Very well. Now we must be off. Time is off the essence." He replied.

Walking closer to the fiery pits, the wizard glanced at a path forged of magic that head already been set down. "Dark magic… It is clear to me that our enemy has already found a way to navigate the underworld."

"Couldn't we just follow their path and find them." Raven asked, stepping forward to observe the dark magic.

"No… we cannot." The wizard replied tossing a stone onto the path. In a matter of seconds, the rock had exploded. "The path that our enemy has forged is riddled with traps. They may have also cast illusionary spells on the way to prevent us from finding them."

"So what do we do?" Etrigan asked, looking impatient.

Doctor Fate nodded in response. "Calm yourself, I was just about to get to that. I believe that I can create a new path for us to take, but I need to concentrate." Closing his eyes, the masked sorcerer began to chant. "By the power of Zeus, grant us safe passage through the pits of Tartarus. By the power of the fate, pierce through the darkness and lead us to that which we desire." As he finished the incantation, a strange ray of light flashed in front of them, forging a path for them to follow.

"Now we will begin this journey. Stay together, and stay within sight of each other." The wizard instructed.

In a matter of seconds, Wonderwoman had already taken up the lead, as she ran along the path into the depths of the underworld. Doctor Fate followed closely behind her, followed by Raven and Zatanna. Etrigan was the last to enter the fiery pits.

"As I suspected." Fate replied. "The path set down by our enemy diverges from my own. They must have changed it to distort us, hoping that we would use it to locate them."

Shayera nodded. "Speaking of that, I think I know how we can get this done faster."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Raven asked.

"We'll go to the ruler of Tartarus himself… Hades." The Thanagarian replied, earning an angry glare from the Amazon Princess.

"You can't be serious. If we turn up in Hades' chamber, we'll be asking for trouble, and even if he did cooperate, would you honestly trust him?"

"The man owes you a debt for defeating Faust and restoring him to the throne of Tartarus." Hawkgirl retaliated. "His help could prove to be useful."

"Perhaps that isn't such a bad idea after all." Doctor Fate replied.

"Trust me… we're better off without the help of a devious god like Hades." Wonderwoman insisted. "You don't know him like I do. He tried to drag my mother into Tartarus once, don't bother getting us involved with him. If we can avoid getting him involved, then we'll probably be better off."

"Why don't we put it to a vote." Shayera suggested. "Does anyone actually think we should go to see Hades?"

Raven shook her head. "While I've never met him, I've read many myths left by the Greeks. Judging by those stories, it's probably not a good idea to seek him out."

Zatanna nodded her head in agreement. "She's right about that. The Greek gods are noted for telling half truths and tricking mortals."

"I agree as well." Etrigan replied.

"It appears the decision is resolved." Wonderwoman concluded. "Now we should hurry, we've waste enough time already."

Doctor Fate nodded his head. "I agree. We must make haste if we are to locate that accursed item before those fiends."

WITH SLADE 

Slade continued to search for the crystal, his patience beginning to wane. While Deathstroke was never a patient man, his thirst for power had become even stronger as he felt the presence of the third Tri-gem calling out to him.

The group of villains traveled inside a yellow barrier created by Sinestro. Not only did it allow them safe passage through the underworld, but the barrier also protected them from the legions of terrible demons that threatened to rip them apart. In the core of the underworld, anything could be dangerous.

Clayface shot Slade a murderous glare as they moved onward. "As soon as we leave this damn barrier, that fire's gonna dry me out."

"We will not remain here for very long." The masked villain replied, holding out his hand to silence the gelatinous shape shifter. "I promise you that any discomfort will be worth it in the end."

"We're almost there." Klarion chimed in. "I can sense a source of dark magic close ahead."

"Never mind… I see it." Slade replied, signaling to the former Green Lantern to release the barrier. As the yellow energy faded, the villains landed on the path. Klarion and the other villains stood in awe as they caught sight of the crystal.

Pushing his way through the group, Slade walked forward towards the floating pedestal that held the artifact. The third Tri-gem was mere inches away from him, but the concept of simply taking the crystal seemed much to easy. No… it just couldn't be that easy to obtain. An evil grin enveloped his face as he turned towards the group of villains standing behind him. He had thought of a better idea. Sizing up the members of his group, he chose

"Klarion… would you care to do the honors." Deathstroke replied, standing aside to let him pass.

"Do you take me for some kind of fool." The warlock spat at his employer. "How do we know that the crystal is not protected by some kind of spell?"

Slade let out a hollow laugh, sounding slightly impressed. "Perhaps you are not as foolish as I originally thought. Perhaps you should check if the crystal is hexed?"

Klarion shook his head. "An excellent idea. Perhaps I should take a closer look." Muttering some incantations, an eerie light shown forth from the warlock's eyes, illuminating the area around the crystal. The light unmasked the concealment spell that had been placed around the pedestal, revealing a large beast standing behind it. While the creature appeared to be a statue to the naked eye, Klarion's spell had revealed the creature's true nature. It was a powerful demon, created to awaken and destroy anyone who touched the item that it was made to guard.

It appears I was correct." The witch boy replied, deactivating his spell. "If any of us were to approach the item, the beast would awaken and kill the intruder."

Slade saw the drawback of his plan, but he was not about to be deterred from the power that he desired. "What is Sinestro uses his power ring to retrieve the crystal?"

"It won't work." Klarion replied. "The beast will also awaken if the item is moved."

"Couldn't we just destroy the demon and take it by force?" Metallo asked, crushing a rock between his fingers as he spoke.

The witch boy cocked an eyebrow. "Indeed… let's challenge a creation of the Greek Gods. Are you insane? I have read about such creatures… they were created by Hephaestus to guard the treasures of the ancient ones. If we were the battle the creature, we would surely lose."

Metallo laughed at the young warlock. "We needn't worry about fighting the beast, all we must do is flee from it before it attacks."

Warp, who had remained silent until now, raised his hand in objection. "Using my technology is not an option in the underworld. The dark magic, which blankets this land, prevents it from working. Had I been able to, we would have entered Tartarus through my vortex rather than battling our way through Themyscira."

"Let's just get back to the situation." Clayface interrupted. Turning around, the shape shifter seized Deathstroke by the throat, and angry look appearing on his face. "Are you trying to say that we came down here for nothing? Was this whole trip a waste of time?"

Slade remained silent for a few seconds, looking completely undisturbed by the fact that Clayface was on the verge of attacking him. "There is no need for violence among allies… I have a plan." He replied nonchalantly.

The angry shape shifter lowered him the ground, looking like a spoiled child whose tantrum had been interrupted. "What are we going to do then, smart guy?"

The masked villain grinned deviously behind his mask. "We are going to leave this matter to the Justice League."

"Are you suggesting we just let them have it?" Klarion asked, looking utterly appalled at the idea. "You can't be serious. After we came all this way to retrieve it."

"Calm yourself. When they remove the artifact from its pedestal, the Justice League will be forced to deal with the guardian. After the battle, we shall steal the crystal from them." Slade replied, looking confident.

Warp raised an eyebrow. "So its an ambush?"

"Precisely…" the masked villain replied.

NOTE TO READERS: Another chapter down for now. Now Hades is on the hunt, Slade's set a trap for the league, and the heroes may run into both. What's going to happen next? Find out in the next chapter. Please lave some **reviews**, I don't really get many for this story because its really not a shipper fanfiction. Oh well, romance isn't really my thing when it comes time to writing a story. Thanks for the support, I was thinking of making a sequal, what do you guys think?


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22: Troubles Below **

DISCLAIMER: I do not own DC characters of logos.

Raven had taken up the lead of the group as they traveled through the pits of Tartarus. While she had previously taken up the center position of the group, she could feel the third Tri-gem calling out to her. The crystal was close… she could feel it. Staring off into the distance, the young sorceress caught sight of the artifact, gleaming on its pedestal.

"We have arrived." Doctor Fate announced, taking the lead of the group. Hovering in the air for a few moments, the wizard landed on the gigantic rock platform, signaling for the other heroes to do the same. Following his example, the others joined him by the pedestal to gaze at the crystal's beauty. It had been a long journey through the fires, but they had all made it through relatively unscathed. The journey had gone along smoothly due to the magic barrier that the Leagues magicians had created to protect themselves from the armies of swarming demons, which inhabited the pits of Tartarus. As the heroes gazed at the crystal that sat within a few feet of them, a strange feeling blanketed the entire group. They were mesmerized by the red glow of the gem.

Upon reaching the artifact, the League members had mixed reactions. Etrigan spat on the ground, clearly annoyed that he didn't get a chance to fight during this mission, while Zatanna appeared to be slightly relieved that they had been able to get through the underworld without any trouble.

Doctor Fate seemed the least sure about the situation. It was much too easy to just walk up to the pedestal and take the artifact. No, it just couldn't be. If there was something that the renowned mystic had learned from studying magic, it was that nothing was as simple as it appeared. In the world of sorcery, one could never make decisions based on an irrational pattern of thought. If you did, it could very well mean the end of your life. Magic was a tricky matter, and required years of study and precise control to be effective, and from the look of his student's face, he was sure that the same thing was going through Raven's mind.

Shayera cocked an eyebrow, looking slightly disappointed. "Interesting… I expected something much more challenging." She replied sounding slightly disappointed. Flying into the air, the Thanagarian seized the crystal between her fingers. As her hands closed around the item, a terrible feeling coursed through her very being. The strange sensation spread from her fingers to every part of her body like an electrical charge. As soon as it had started, the shock had left her body. Shayera was never the type to allow something so small to bother her, but as she tried to remove the crystal from its pedestal, her body refused to respond.

A loud roar echoed throughout the cavernous chamber as the statue behind the pedestal began to move. Waking from its ancient slumber, the stone beast took a few steps forward, surveying the Thanagarian. Shayera looked up just in time to see the creature, its red eyes focused on her like a predator stalking it prey. In one fluid movement, the beast swung its claw forwards to rip her in two. Unable to move, she could only close her eyes and brace for the impact. Looking up from her position, the pain never came.

Wonderwoman had seen the creature's subtle movements and pulled her to safety with her rope at the last second.

"What took you so long, princess?" Hawkgirl replied in a mocking tone.

Untying her, the Amazon carried her out of the creature's range, her mace falling to the ground as they fled. "The real question is why didn't you move?"

The Thanagarian opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off by Doctor Fate. "She was hit with a powerful paralyzation spell that must have been added to protect the crystal. I don't think she'll be able to move for at least several minutes."

"What about that living gargoyle that tried to tear me in half?" Shayera remarked, glancing back at the raging beast.

"It was a stone guardian." The wizard replied. "I suspected it, but you acted irrationally before I could voice my warning. It was very poor judgment on your part."

"So… what do we do with her?" Wonderwoman asked, glancing at the paralyzed Hawkgirl.

"We get her to safety…" he replied. Placing her on the path, the magician erected a protective barrier around Shayera's immobilized body. Seeing that her friend would be fine, Wonderwoman joined the other League members in an attempt to seize the crystal from the guardian.

The beast was a fearsome opponent. Swinging its claws wildly at the oncoming heroes, the creature refused to let them get to close to the artifact that he was created to protect.

Raven stepped forward, binding the creature in a veil of dark magic. For a moment it seemed as if they had won, but as Wonderwoman attempted to take the treasure, the beast broke free from the spell, slashing her with his claws. Raven was thrown backwards by the force of the magical backlash, while the Amazon Princess landed on the path, clutching a fist to her wound. Sighting its weakened prey, the beast spit out a stream of hellfire at the two heroes.

Zatanna somersaulted into the air, landing in front of her injured comrades. With a wave of her wand, the fire faded into the darkness, turning into harmless bubbles. Thinking quickly, the female magician removed her hat, drawing the bubbles into it like a vacuum cleaner. Pointing the hat towards the creature, she tapped the brim, releasing the same blast of fire back at the creature. The attack struck the guardian, creating a gigantic explosion, but as the smoke cleared, the beast reemerged relatively unscathed.

Etrigan snorted in anger, as he charged towards the demon. Sensing his approach, the beast shot a burst of fire from its gullet, swinging its claws to repel his approach. Leaping into the air to avoid the attacks, Etrigan tacked the guardian to the ground, attempting to restrain the beast. Roaring in anger, the creature lifted him into the air, tossing him aside like a feather.

Blasting energy from her hands, Raven made another attempt to subdue the demon. While her attack did no physical damage, it acted as a distraction, allowing Wonderwoman to land a few blows on it. The demon roared in anger, staggering backwards like a wounded bear. Moving back towards the crystal, the guardian prepared to defend it again.

"Can't you magicians somehow put it back to sleep." Wonderwoman asked, glancing at the defeated sorcerers.

Doctor Fate levitated forward, landing beside her. "I'm afraid we cannot. The creature was forged by the ancient magic of the Greek Gods. Our powers cannot harm it, nor can we effectively combat the beast. We can only distract it in hopes that one of us can seize the third Tri-gem."

Raven listened to the conversation as she continued to attack the creature with her own powers, but even combining her skills with Zatanna and Etrigan wasn't enough to stop it. Thinking back, the young sorceress remembered something that she had heard before the mission. Perhaps there was one way that they could slay this demon.

"Can you distract him?" she asked the other heroes.

Etrigan grunted in response. "Yeah, but we can't do much else." He replied, spitting fireballs at the demon.

Doctor Fate nodded, joining in the battle. Blasting light energy from his hands, the wizard made another attempt to subdue the beast, surrounding the guardian with magical energy, her managed to bind the creature in a similar manner to the way Raven had tried earlier. The result was remarkably similar to Raven's attempt, as the creature was still too powerful to be contained. Unable to hold the struggling beast, Doctor Fate was thrown backwards by the backlash of the failed spell.

Using her chance to search, she found what she was looking for. Shayera's discarded mace lay on the ground a few feet away. Lifting the heavy tool, Raven tossed it at the beast with as much strength as she could muster. With a resounding crack, the metal weapon struck the guardian in the face, causing the beast to howl in pain. While the impact of the attack had not struck with as much force as it could have, the Thanagarian metal had magic-disrupting properties. In fact, the mace had caused the creature pain, by simply making contact.

Levitating the mace with her magic, Raven realized how difficult it was. Because the weapon was made of special material, it disrupted her magic as well, making it difficult to focus her powers on the item. Placing all of her effort into the levitation spell, she brought the weapon up, and swung it down upon the guardian's head, piercing through the creature's skull like a knife through butter. The metal had canceled out the spell that had kept it alive, ending its life. The guardian's body froze, its eyes widening in shock as its body fell to the ground. After a few moments, the unconscious form of the monster crumbed into dust.

"So much for him." Shayera said, having been freed from the paralysis spell seconds earlier. Walking over to the pile of dust that was once the guardian, she retrieved her mace. "Good job, rookie." The Thanagarian commented, giving Raven a nod of approval.

"You think fast in the heat of battle… you have great potential." Wonderwoman added, looking slightly impressed. "If the battle had continued, the injuries may have been worse." Walking over to the pedestal, the Amazon claimed the crystal.

The three spell casters nodded in agreement, giving Raven an uplifting feeling that she wasn't used to. In all the years she had fought aside the Titans, she was rarely ever the hero who led the team to victory. Sure there was that situation with Mumbo Jumbo, but analyzing magic was her specialty. She had also been the one to defeat her father, but she was actually one of the few people who could have even fought him. Breaking out of her thoughts, she simply nodded in acknowledgement towards the rare praise that the older heroes were giving her. The small celebration was short-lived, as the sound of clapping interrupted her moment.

Slade Wilson stood on the edge of the rock platform, clapping his hands together in a mocking applause. "Well done, Raven. I always knew that you had potential."

"What do you want Slade?" she hissed, already knowing what the answer would be.

The deadly villain smiled behind his mask. "I'm a reasonable man… We can come out to some sort of agreement. I desire that crystal that you have, so let me make this clear… you will hand over the third Tri-gem… or you will all die. If you do cooperate, I promise to let you live."

"Do you intend to fight us all by yourself?" Wonderwoman asked, stepping to lead of the group.

Slade let out a hollow laugh. "Come now… Even I would not presume to fight all of you by myself." He replied, snapping his fingers like a master beckoning to his servants. In a flash of light, Klarion deactivated the invisibility spell surrounding the rest of the villains, revealing Clayface, Metallo, Warp, and Sinestro standing behind him.

"The choice is yours…" Slade reiterated.

Wonderwoman shook her head. "No… you'll have to take it by force."

Sighing in boredom, the masked villain signaled his group to attack. "Kill them… but remember, I want the crystal intact." The group of villains charged forward, meeting the Justice League members in battle.

Raven floated into the air, raining blasts of dark magic down on her enemies. The spell bounced harmlessly off of Sinestro's wall of energy as the rogue Green Lantern floated into the air to do battle.

Doctor Fate turned to help her but was absorbed by a mass of living mud. The wizard struggled for a few moments, before blasting the shape shifter with magic energy, shattering his body into hundreds of pieces. Crawling away from the scene, Fate stared in shock as Clayface's gelatinous form sprang from the ground, reforming into the villain's body. Roaring in anger, the shape shifter created weapons out of the pieces of his body, throwing them at the wizard. Anticipating the attack, Doctor Fate created a barrier to absorb the blows hits.

Wonderwoman stood a few yards away from the battle, her eyes scanning the battlefield for the man who had killed her fellow Amazons. Catching sight of the masked villain, she sprang forward like an angry cat, pinning Deathstroke to the ground. "You'll pay for killing my sisters." She shouted, seizing the villain by the head and smashing it against the stone floor. "I will avenge them!"

Slade laughed sadistically at her temper, seemingly unharmed by her assault. Turning over with amazing speed, the masked villain landed a powerful kick directly in her stomach, sending the Amazon Princess flying backwards. Seizing his chance, Deathstroke drew a fistful of knives from his pack, throwing them at her with lightning fast speed and machine precision.

Catching sight of the oncoming threat, Wonderwoman raised her wrist cuffs, effortlessly deflecting the projectiles. "Not bad, I can tell that you were aiming for vital points." She replied, flying forward to attack him. Following his movements with her eyes, she attempted to attack him, but found herself unable to touch him.

Slade weaved around her attacks effortlessly dodging her most powerful blows as if they were nothing to him. Studying her movements, the masked crime lord seized her by the fist, bracing himself against her enhanced strength. "You'll have to do better than that my dear." He hissed in an unpleasant tone. In one swift movement, he tossed her through the air like a piece if paper. Her body fell in a graceful arc, landing in a crumpled heap on the stone surface on which they were fighting. "You live up to your reputation… but strength isn't everything." He mocked, staring at his opponent.

The Amazon Princess leapt to her feet, looking relatively unharmed. "Don't underestimate me."

"Perhaps it is you who should not estimate me." Slade replied, grinning at her from behind his mask. "Having superhuman abilities does not grant you as much of an advantage if you are fighting an opponent who knows how to analyze such powers." Reaching onto his back, the masked villain drew his katana, readying the blade for battle.

Falling prey to his taunting, Wonderwoman charged forward, even more determined than ever to avenge the deaths of her people. To her surprise, the masked villain leapt forward to meet her, swinging his blade with expert skill. Reacting quickly, she raised her wrist protectors, parrying his attacks. Drawing a second katana, Deathstroke continued his assault, swinging his swords with the speed and precision of a true master. The Amazon Princess was clearly impressed by her opponent's raw amount of skills. As she continued to block his swords, her breathing was becoming shallow. The masked villain knew that she was strong, but quickly noticed her signs of fatigue. This battle would be over soon.

Raven's battle with Sinestro was remarkably similar to her bout against Star Sapphire, except this opponent appeared to even more experienced in the mental discipline of manipulating energy. While Star Sapphire had mostly relied on generating energy blasts and creating walls, Sinestro's technique was much more refined. The former Green Lantern was extremely skilled in using a power ring, often creating a variety of items and weapons with the energy.

Thinking fast, the blue-clad sorceress decided to try the same method that she had used against Sapphire. Sinking into a vortex of swirling shadows, she reemerged from another portal, blasting Sinestro from behind with her attack. The former Green Lantern dodged sideways, looking around for the source of the threat.

The real Raven had reappeared behind her opponent, certain that he was falling for her illusion technique. Readying another magic blast, the young sorceress found herself bound with yellow energy. "How… How did you know?" she stammered, attempting to hide her shock.

Sinestro cocked an eyebrow, looking slightly amused by her trick. "Not a bad idea, but your execution was lacking. Your illusion was not as convincing as you thought because the image that you wanted me to see was not completely solid, as the energies from the portal phased through you rather than around you."

Raven stared at her opponent, impressed that a vengeful killer like him had seen through her tricks. Focusing her magic around her body, the young sorceress exerted the energy outwards, shattering Sinestro's force field. "Not bad… but the execution is lacking." She replied, attempting to mock her opponent.

Meanwhile, Etrigan and Zatanna were having troubles of their own. The two magicians faced off against Klarion and his cat. The female magician stood a few yards away from Klarion, exchanging magic blasts with the young warlock. "Go…" the witch boy ordered to his cat.

The feline transformed into a humanoid form, springing forward at Zatanna. Reacting quickly, Etrigan tackled the creature with full force, sending the fiendish animal flying through the air. The cat landed headfirst onto the ground, morphing back into its original form. Seizing the opening, Etrigan blasted the witch boy with blast of fire, rendering him unconscious.

A few yards away, Shayera was engaged in a fierce battle with the cyborg, Metallo. Seeing an opening, the Thanagarian walloped him over the head with her mace, knocking him to ground. Recovering quickly, the android dealt a few blows to her stomach, getting a rise out of the injured Hawkgirl. Charging forwards again, she smashed him in the chest with her mace, effectively grounding the metal villain. Looking triumphant, the Thanagarian flew back towards the fray.

Wonderwoman continued her battle with Slade. Although she wouldn't admit it out loud, the Amazon princess was starting to worry. The constant dodging and blocking on her part was a lot of work, and the speed of his attacks had made it difficult. Despite his constant motions, the masked villain appeared to be in perfect condition. Leaping sideways away from his blades, Wonderwoman narrowly avoided a fatal hit, but as she backed away from her opponent, the Amazon Princess realized that his constant sword attacks had cut her wrists. Bracing herself for another attack, she leapt backwards, attempting to dodge his strikes rather than block them. While it appeared that he was aiming for her body, Slade had really been focused on injuring her arms, to simultaneously dull the effectiveness of her attacks and defense.

Deathstroke eyed his opponent like a wolf who had just cornered his prey. From the look in her eyes, she had finally realized what he was trying to do… but it was a little too late. The masked villain had already weakened her arms, slowing her reaction speed to his attacks. It was only a matter of time before she made a mistake, and that would be the end of her life.

Wonderwoman sensed her opponent's ambitions just by staring into his eye, but she was a warrior, and it was not the way of her people to run from a battle.

Smiling behind his mask, Deathstroke charged forward to deliver the finishing blow. Sensing his attack, the Amazon Princess flew into the air to avoid it, deciding to go for another approach. Reaching for her rope, Wonderwoman tossed her lasso at the masked villain, ensnaring him with it. For a few seconds it seemed if though she had detained him, but Slade wasn't the kind of man to be so easily bound. Reaching into his utility belt, the masked man popped out a grenade, tossing the small item into the air. The grenade exploded, releasing a small cloud of poisonous gas in her face. Falling through the air, she landed on the ground with a loud thud.

"Game over…" Slade replied, holding his sword above her. Shayera reacted quickly, smashing her mace into the masked villain with as much force as she could muster, determined to save her teammate from death.

Slade spun through the air, landing on his feet. While the villain did not verbally address the issue, he stood with clutching his hand to his chest where she had struck him. Despite his apparent injury, Deathstroke effectively dodged a second strike from the Thanagarian's mace. "You'll have to do better than that my dear. Care to try again."

Hawkgirl shot him a look of utter loathing. "I'm just getting started." Charging forward, Shayera swung her weapon like a club as she flew towards him, giving her opponent very little time to dodge.

Deathstroke anticipated this strategy before she had even attack, countering her attack by bending back and kicking her in the head with his foot. The blow struck her, causing her to stumble backwards like an uncoordinated child. Seizing his chance, Slade shot forward, landing a combination of punches and kicks on his opponent. "You're good… but not good enough." He stated, bearing down on her.

His victory was short lived as he was forced to dodge sideways again. Doctor Fate stood a few feet away, having frozen Clayface in a block of ice, and used him as a projectile against Slade. The masked villain glared at his new opponent, looking thoroughly entertained.

"I wish I could stay to see how this plays out, but I have what I came here for." Slade replied, giving his new opponent a hollow laugh. "Sinestro… we're leaving."

The former Green Lantern nodded his head. "We'll finish this one later." He said to Raven, before gathering up the fallen villains with his power ring. Attempting to catch him off guard, Raven blasted him with her magic, but Warp stood in her way, projecting an invisible barrier. Once all of the villains had entered Sinestro's yellow barrier, they were off like a jet.

"Cowards…" Raven shouted, releasing multiple blasts of energy at the fleeing villains. Warp exited the barrier for a second, firing rounds of missiles at his opponents. The projectiles collided with her attacks in midair, exploding on impact, and releasing billowing clouds of black smoke. As the walls of smog dissipated, there was no sign of the enemy.

The young sorceress floated in midair, her face shielded by the hood of her robes. "We have to follow them." She stated, glancing back at the group.

Doctor Fate nodded. "And so we shall. You and I will follow them, while Etrigan and Zatanna tend to Wonderwoman and Shayera."

"Fine… let's go." Raven spat, moving in the direction that the enemy was least seen going.

"They could be using an invisibility spell to hide themselves from view." Fate warned her. "We must search for any signs that they may have left behind, which will be difficult considering the nature of Sinestro's power ring."

The young sorceress realized that he was right. If they were able to travel a far enough distance while being shielded with an invisibility barrier, and an energy shield, then finding that group of villains was not going to be an easy task. "What about a locator spell?" she suggested.

The wizard shook his head. "The energy released by the power ring may interfere with the magic of a locator spell. Such a spell would be unreliable in this situation, but if we attempt to locate the magic of the invisibility shield, than it may yet be possible."

Raven closed her eyes, placing herself in the correct position to meditate. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" she muttered under her breath, attempting to locate the source of Klarion's spell.

"Look out!" Doctor Fate shouted, seizing her by the waist and pulling her to safety.

Raven stared up at her teacher, looking confused. "What was that for? I almost had a fix on their location." Looking away from the wizard, she caught sight of a large man wearing black armor. The man was tall and muscular, his beard neatly trimmed, with long hair black hair running down his back. Her eyes widened upon the realization of who their attacker was. While Raven was never the type to admit to being afraid, even she could not find words to describe the situation. Before them stood the lord of the underworld himself… Hades.

NOTE TO READERS: Another chapter down, sorry for the cliffhanger. Because this chapter was so long, the next one might not be. Please **review**, it helps me when I write. Some of my ideas are actually influenced by reveiws from readers.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23: A Debt of Honor**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters or logos.

Raven was speechless at the sight of the new arrival, and by the look of her mentor, so was he. While her magic had greatly improved since her days as a Teen Titan, the young sorceress was positive that even she couldn't stop a god. There was no doubt in her mind on this one. Raven was the kind of person who read everything decent book that she could find, and the guide to Greek Mythology was no exception. She had heard terrible things about Hades in her readings, giving her a reason to be nervous. If the god of the underworld had come for a serious fight, then there was a very slim chance that they would be able to win.

Hades hovered in the air a few yards away from them, an amused expression on his face. "You have trespassed in my domain. The penalty for your crimes against the gods is death, but I'm feeling merciful today. Would you care to tell me what you're doing here."

Doctor Fate moved between Raven and the Lord of the Underworld. "My apologies for the intrusion into your kingdom, Lord Hades, but I assure you that we have a valid reason."

"Not much of an excuse…" he replied nonchalantly, shooting a stream of hellfire at the wizard.

Raven's eyes widened in shock as the fire struck her mentor, but to her surprise, the blast didn't kill him. The wizard fought back, thrusting his hands into the fire as if he was attempting to hold back the force of the blast. Generating a magical barrier with his hands, Doctor Fate pushed against the wall of fire with all of his might chanting an incantation as he continued the struggle. "Kaja bali yunnza… Kaja bali yunnza…" he said over and over again as the fire threatened to overwhelm his protective spell.

Raven shot forward like a jet, generating her own magical barrier to protect him, muttering her own incantation. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" Her chaos magic fused with his light magic creating an even more powerful shield. The struggle continued for a few minutes, neither side giving up the struggle. Despite how much effort that the two magicians placed into their spells, they were no match for the lord of the dead. Raven could feel the strain of staving off such a powerful attack, and was certain that Fate was beginning to feel it to.

Hades stood a few yards away with an amused. From the smug expression on his face, and his clearly lackluster mannerisms, Raven could tell that the god of the underworld was toying with them. After a few more moments of strain, Hades stopped his assault. Feeling the weariness from maintaining the spell, Doctor Fate fell backwards like a broken item. Moving forward to help him, Raven caught the fallen wizard in her arms, noticing his serious degree of exhaustion.

Having stopped his attack for the moment, the lord of Tartarus looked slightly disappointed by his opponents. "I was hoping for a challenge. Tell me, are you two peons the best opponents that I could face." He replied mockingly, eying the two magicians. His eyes focused on Raven for a few moments before he spoke again. "And tell me, why does the female give off the foul aura of Trigon?"

His comment caused Raven to jump a little in surprise. Shaking her head, the young sorceress silently cursed herself for allowing something so trivial to catch her off guard. "I am his daughter…" she replied, unsure of what else to say in the situation. It appeared that the god of the dead did not seek to kill them, or at least not yet. Had he really been trying, they would be having a much more difficult time right now.

Hades cocked an eyebrow, looking slightly amused. "I see… Perhaps I did not think of the possibility. I did not expect the daughter of the dimensional demon lord to be so weak." He replied with a sneer.

The young sorceress glared at him, but said nothing else in retaliation. Regaining her emotionless façade, the blue-clad spell caster decided to speak to the lord of Tartarus, proceeding with great caution as she thought about what to say. "We apologize for the intrusion, but we came here with a mission. I believe that Doctor Fate made a previous attempt to explain."

The god gave a hearty laugh in response to her statement, looking thoroughly amused. After a few moments, his gaze hardened once again. "A mission you say… on what grounds have you come to my domain."

Raven nodded. "We received permission from Queen Hippolyta to enter your domain. It was she who granted us safe passage through the gates of Tartarus."

"Yes… We came here to investigate a situation concerning some intruders in Themyscira." Doctor Fate added. "I apologize for any misconceptions, but our group was sent by the Justice League to apprehend some dangerous criminals that have violated the sanctity of your domain."

The Lord of the Underworld observed the two magicians for a few seconds, attempting to find any sign that they were lying to him. "So… from your claim, I am willing to guess that you are both heroes. To think that the daughter of a demon would align herself with the side of good." He commented, glancing at Raven.

The young sorceress ignored his statement, hiding her facial expression behind her hooded cloak. A few moments passed before she spoke again. "It doesn't matter. We came here to stop these people."

Hades observed her again, finding no sign that she was lying. "If what you claim is true, then I am curious as to what they were after in my realm. Perhaps… they were after your father's talisman?" he replied in a sinister tone.

Raven felt strange at hearing these words come out of his mouth, but then again he probably deduced this answer based on what they had already told him. After all, she was the daughter of the demon, and it made sense that he could figure out the situation from knowing this piece of information.

Doctor Fate appeared to have anticipated this response. "Indeed… they stole the Tri-gem that was hidden in your realm, and we were unable to stop them. Perhaps if you let us through we can capture them and reclaim the crystal."

The lord of the underworld thought about the idea for a minute before giving his answer. "And what makes me certain that you can be trusted. Perhaps you wish to use the item for your own personal ambitions." As the god finished speaking, a small demon appeared by his side.

"My lord, interlopers were spotted leaving Tartarus." The creature stated, bowing before his master.

"Do you know anything else about these intruders?" he asked the demon.

The timid demon bowed even lower. "No, my lord. Other demons have claimed to have seen these strange visitors earlier, but were not able to capture them."

The god's eyes focused on the small demon. After a few moments, his grin became a furious snarl, the fires of rage lighting his features. The lord of Tartarus breathed a stream of dark fire, burning the creature into ash and bones in a matter of seconds. The charred skull clattered away across the ground, dropping into the fires of the underworld. After a few moments, the remains had vanished into the abyss.

Hades turned his back to his visitors. "So… they have escaped then.

Hearing a struggling noise, the trio turned to see Etrigan carrying Wonderwoman and Shayera, both of which were barely conscious. Zatanna stood at the front of the group, having carried them on one of her invisible platforms. Hovering forward a few feet, the group slowly landed on the large sheet of rock on which Hades stood.

"Greetings, my child…" Hades said, turning to the Amazon Princess.

Despite her condition, the stubborn hero pushed free of Etrigan's grip, landing in an unceremonious fashion. Struggling to her feet, she took a few shaky steps towards the lord of Tartarus. "I though I told you never to call me that again." She replied, glaring at him. While her hatred for this man was absolute, the fall to her knees diminished the effect of her anger.

"I told you my explanation for referring to you in that way." Hades replied, giving her an odd expression. "If you refuse to believe it, then be my guest, I shall not make any further objections. Besides, in your condition, you could not possibly threaten me."

Wonderwoman groaned, cursing herself for not being able to stand properly.

Eying the members of the group, Hades decided to do something that he wouldn't normally do. "Come with me…" he replied motioning forward. "We share a common enemy, so perhaps I can be pf assistance."

"We don't need your kind of help, monster. We must pursue those people who we came here to stop." Diana replied.

Hades smiled at the Amazon. "My demon's told me that your friends escaped, but trust me… I believe that you may find what I have to show you, quite interesting."

Raven gave Doctor Fate a hesitant look. The wizard simply nodded his approval, taking off after the lord of the underworld. Raven returned his nod, following after him as fast as she could. She flew through the depths of Tartarus with the rest of, eying the many demons that made their homes in this realm. Many of the creatures shot her death glares, but did not move from their spots. All the while, she had a shrewd suspicion that these foul creatures would have attacked her by now had she not been accompanied by Hades himself.

After a few more minutes, he landed on a cliff overlooking the fiery pits. Stepping forward, Hades thrust open the wooden doors leading to his personal chambers. A large dark throne sat at the end of the room, while the rest of the room seemed to be conspicuously empty.

"I don't usually have guests." Hades replied, waving his hand in the air. In a matter of seconds, a table with six chairs lining the sides appeared in front of his throne. Moving forward, the lord of Tartarus took a seat on his throne at the head of the table.

Doctor Fate followed the lord of Tartarus into the halls, eying the interior with great interest. He always had an interest in ancient magic. Following him were Raven, Zatanna, and Shayera. Etrigan brought up the rear of the group, supporting an injured Wonderwoman.

"I can manage from here." The Amazon Princess stated. Pushing herself free of Etrigan's supporting arm, Wonderwoman stumbled forward few more steps before landing on her knees again.

"Like hell you can." Etrigan retorted, scooping up her limp form and placing her into one of the seats around the table.

Hades eyed the hesitant group for a few moments before speaking again. "You may all sit down." He stated, gesturing towards the chairs by the table. Shayera exchanged a disapproving expression with Doctor Fate, but decided to take the seat farthest from Hades. When everyone was seated, the lord of Tartarus spoke again. "I'm sure you are all wondering why I have been so hospitable."

Wonderwoman glared at him, anger enveloping her features. "I don't know what you're up to, but I still don't trust you."

"Quite understandable, but I believe that I can be of assistance. I know some things about your situation, and the prospect is more grave than you could possibly imagine." Hades responded, giving her a twisted smile. "Now calm yourself, my child… so that I may explain."

The Amazon Princess opened her mouth to say something, but Shayera raised a hand to silence her. The Thanagarian shot her a look of disapproval. "Shhh… I know he's not the most trustworthy man, but he might know something important." She replied in a hushed tone.

Hades continued on. "As I was saying, I believe that I have something that you may find quite interesting." The lord of the underworld stepped out of the room, returning moments later with a large tome in his hands he held it up in front of the assembled heroes. "This book may provide you with some answers to your predicament. The tome is written in a different language, so perhaps it is best if I explain."

The group of heroes grew silent, eying the dusty book. The cover of the elderly tome bore the words _Demonic Conquest_.

The lord of Tartarus placed the book on the table as he settled himself back onto his throne. "As I was saying, the book is about powerful demons throughout the history of the world. As you can probably guess, Trigon's story is in this book. The tome also gives the details about the three Tri-gems, and the powers that they are capable of unleashing upon the Earth."

Doctor Fate nodded. "So, perhaps you can tell us what exactly you mean by that."

"I was getting to that." Hades responded. "It states that if the three crystals are placed on the alter of Trigon, the powers of darkness will be bestowed upon the person who placed the Tri-gems on the alter."

"And what exactly is that?" Raven asked.

Hades gave her a twisted smile before answering. "The abilities granted to the individual who does that will grant them great and terrible powers. They will possess the ability to assemble and control armies of demons, enough power to drive this world to its knees."

Wonderwoman gave the lord of Tartarus a suspicious look. "Why do you help us? If I'm not mistaken, you tried to kill me once."

"I tell you this, because I owe you a debt of gratitude for helping me a while back. Had it not been for you and your friend, I may have remained bound to that rock for eternity with the vultures ripping at my internal organs." The god of the dead gave her a look, which was probably met to be a reassuring smile.

"Had it been my decision, I would have left you there. I helped you to restore balance to the world and help my friends." The Amazon replied coldly, glaring up at him. Her eyes briefly shifted to Doctor Fate, Zatanna, and Etrigan, all of whom had endured terrible pain when Faust disrupted the balance. "After the things that you did to my mother, I will never forgive you."

"Understandable, my child…" he replied, looking unfazed by her display of hatred.

"Can we keep that book?" Doctor Fate asked.

Hades nodded. "You may, I have no use for it. Besides… I'd rather spend my time torturing the immortal souls of sinners than reading."

"Thank you for your assistance." Raven said, bowing her head in respect.

Wonderwoman stood up, having found the strength to stand on her own. "If we ever meet again, things won't be any different." She replied, giving him one last look of hatred. Unable to continue, the Amazon Princess fell towards the ground, only to be caught by Raven's levitation spell.

"I would expect as much." The god of the dead replied, staring down at the injured Amazon. Turning to the other heroes, Hades gestured towards the doors of his chamber. "You may all leave in peace, but I strongly recommend that you do not trespass into my realm again."

Doctor Fate stood at the head of the group, opening the giant doors with his magic. Muttering a few incantations under his breath, a path appeared in front of them. "Come…" he said to the others.

The group of heroes took flight again, Etrigan running along the path, carrying Wonderwoman's injured form in his arms. They continued at a steady pace for a few minutes, wandering through the vast land of Tartarus. Having made their way through the fiery lands, the group of heroes found themselves back at the gates of Tartarus. Moving through the gates, Raven couldn't help but glance back at the doors. When everyone had exited the gates, the doors slammed shut behind them, the locks falling perfectly back into place.

"DIANA!" Hippolyta shouted, running to meet the group of heroes. "What happened to my daughter?" she asked, turning to the others for an answer.

"I'll be fine. I've had worse injuries." Wonderwoman replied, attempting to reassure the Amazon Queen.

"We must go…" Doctor Fate replied, pressing a finger to his communicator. "Beam us up."

"Roger…" the voice of Mister Terrific sounded through the earpiece. In a matter if moments, a bright light enveloped the group of heroes, transporting them back to the Watchtower. As they reappeared in the main hanger, a group of medics lifted Wonderwoman's limp form, whisking her away on a stretcher. Shayera and Zatanna glance at their fellow heroes before following the personnel to the hospital wing.

Raven gave a concerned look, earning a nod from Doctor Fate. She was thinking about Slade and the Tri-gems. There was no question that he was terrible man, having tried to kill the Teen Titans multiple times, but the idea of him having command of armies of demons was nothing short of pure terror. Despite the kind of person he was, Raven couldn't deny that Slade was a brilliant tactician, and a skilled fighter. He appeared to possess strength and speed far beyond that of the average human, but it was mostly his skills as a combatant that made him so powerful. Even though she had experienced this herself, Raven was still surprised that the masked villain had taken down two of the founding members of the Justice League without causing himself any strain.

Doctor Fate grasped her shoulder to get her attention. "You should report this to the Martian. He may want to know about the new developments."

Raven nodded in response. "Why can't you do it?"

"I have other things to handle right now. I must translate that tome, to see if we can learn anything else from it." The magician replied. Taking a few steps backwards, a strange light engulfed him, briefly taking the form of an Egyptian Ankh as he vanished with the book in his hands.

The young sorceress turned towards the door leading to the main control room.

NOTE TO READERS: I know, not the action-packed chapter that some people may have been expecting, but now you know what could happen if the heroes don't stop Slade's plans. Please **review**, it helps motivate me to write the story.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24: Explanations and Old Friends **

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters or logos.

As Raven entered the main counsel room, she found it surprisingly empty. The only person present today was the Martian, who rarely accompanied his fellow heroes on missions unless he needed to. Oh well, it would be easier if she only had to speak to one of them, rather than all seven. While they were all excellent heroes, the seven founding members could be quite overbearing at times, with the possible exception of the always-cheerful Flash.

"The enemy has obtained the third Tri-gem." The young sorceress announced, a hint of anger in her voice.

The Martian shifted his attention towards her, a serious expression on his face. "Perhaps you would care to elaborate on the subject."

The female hero looked slightly uncomfortable as she took the seat across from the Martian. It felt strange to sit at the main counsel table, as she was not one of the founding members of the Justice League, but the concept was interesting. The Martian gave her a small nod, signifying that she should begin telling her story.

"I won't bother you with too many of the details, but I will explain the current situation…" she began. The alien gave her a second nod, giving her more confidence to continue. "We arrived on Themyscira per your orders and found that the villains had already forced their way through their defenses, killing everyone who stood in their way. Slade personally came to ensure the success of his mission, and he had brought with him a band of villains and a young warlock."

J'onn J'onzz nodded again. "That's not surprising. In the depths of Tartarus he would need the help of a magician of some kind to effectively navigate the land. I am willing the guess that Deathstroke had become wary of your tricks after the Joker made the mistake of bringing him a false crystal."

"Slade is not a fool. He would not risk us getting our hands on another one." Raven replied, folding her hands in a relaxed position on the table. "As I was saying… we arrived to find that the bad guys had already made it through the gates. Being to late to stop them, we were forced to pursue them into the underworld."

"You were obviously unsuccessful…" The Martian stated in a blunt fashion, looking indifferent.

Raven nodded. "I believe the reason that there are a number of contributing factors as to why we lost the crystal. Wonderwoman was obviously distressed about the slaughter of her Amazon sisters. With the events having been so recent, I believe that she could not focus completely on the situation at hand."

An understanding look appeared on the Martian's face, but he did his best to hide it. "I see… I know what it feels like to lose family." he replied, a look of sorrow flashing across his face for a second. "Such trauma at the loss of her Amazon Sisters clearly clouded her judgment. I am willing to say that the memory was vivid in her mind, making her irrational and disrupting her focus."

The young sorceress reached up to her face, pulling away her hood. "While that was true, I wouldn't blame her for the entirety of our failure. We were also defeated, because we all underestimated Slade's skill as a tactician, and his strength on the battlefield…"

"Perhaps you can help us further understand his way of thinking so that we can prepare for his next possible move." The Martian said.

"I was getting to that…" she replied, having been on the verge of elaborating on the subject. "While I am not completely sure about this, I believe that we fell into a trap. Doctor Fate attempted to warn us of the possible dangers of taking the crystal from its resting place, but Shayera acted before he could explain the situation. Taking the gem from its pedestal woke the beast that was created to guard it, causing it to attack us. We were able to destroy the creature, but Slade and his band of villains attacked us as soon as we were able to obtain the third Tri-gem. During the battle, he signal-handedly defeated Wonderwoman and Hawkgirl, and escaped with the crystal. We attempted to stop them, but our efforts were in vain."

The Martian stood up from his chair. "Very well… is that all you have to report?"

Raven shook her head again. "No… on our way out of Tartarus, we received some help from an unlikely source. We explained our situation to Hades, and he decided to repay his debt to Wonderwoman by helping us."

"That is most unexpected, but perhaps he had an ulterior motive." The alien replied, looking slightly uncertain.

She had expected his reaction. "I thought the same thing, but my guess is that he despises Trigon just as much as everyone else."

"Was did Hades do to help."

"He gave us an ancient tome with information about Trigon, which Doctor Fate plans to translate soon. He also told us that if Slade can place all three crystals on Trigon's Alter and complete the dark ceremony, he will have the power to control countless demons."

"I see…" the Martian replied, a hint of concern present in his voice. "I thank you for you time. You may go now if you wish."

The young sorceress said nothing more as she swept silently from the room. After such a long day, it would probably be best if she returned to Doctor Fate's tower and got some rest. She would probably have another mission tomorrow, and going into a potentially dangerous situation without any rest could be a problem. Rounding the next hallway, she entered the main hanger of the space station, giving small waves to her fellow heroes as they passed by. Walking over to the transporter, Raven made her request to the operator, and in a matter of seconds she was back in the sitting room of Doctor Fate's tower.

Observing her surroundings, she saw Aquaman losing another game of Chess to the android, and Doctor Fate's wife using a spell to clean the bookshelves. It seemed that things really didn't change that much around here. It was a nice place to stay if you needed some time to think, or if you wanted some peace and quiet. Ignoring the scene, she continued through the hallways. A flash of light illuminated the surrounding area as Doctor Fate appeared in front of her.

"Have you found out anything new from that text?" she asked hopefully, wishing for nothing more than this terrible ordeal to end.

The masked magician looked slightly disappointed. "I am sorry… no. The text is more difficult to translate than I thought and it will take some time. If you will excuse me, I must return to my research." The magician paused for a moment before disappearing. "Oh, I neglected to mention that you have visitors…" he replied nonchalantly.

Raven nodded. The young sorceress had hoped to relax for a while with a book and a cup of tea, before retiring for the night, but apparently she now had other plans.

"Your friends are waiting for you in the library." He finished, disappearing in another flash of light.

Although tempted to follow him, she decided that it would probably be best if she helped him later. Raven was an excellent reader, having learned many different languages besides English. She was also well versed in some ancient languages, allowing her to translate and use a variety of spells.

Turning into the library, Raven found an interesting group of people waiting for her. Beast Boy, Cyborg, Starfire, Speedy, Aqualad, and Bumblebee, sat around one of the tables in the library, talking excitedly with one another in whispers. Her friends welcomed her as she entered the room, pushing aside a chair for her as se approached the table.

"What are all of you doing here?" She asked in an emotionless tone, observing the former members of the Teen Titans.

Beast Boy broke out in laughter, apparently amused by her current disposition. "Sorry Rae, me and Cyborg just wanted you to tell us what's going on."

"What about your jobs?" she accused, eying the group of heroes.

Cyborg grinned. "We were all off duty for tonight, so BB and Starfire helped me gather up the old team and we decided to come and see you. We just figured that we'd catch up… and maybe you'll give us an update on the Tri-gem situation so we can stay informed in case something happens."

Raven breathed a sight of relief. "If that's all, I suggest you go ask the Martian. Normally I wouldn't mind telling you, but I'm tired right now and I'll probably end up going on another mission tomorrow. I'm starting to feel overworked."

The Green Changeling settled himself into a nearby armchair, pushing back the recliner in an attempt to relax. "Good for you Rae. I'm the new guy, so all that they have me do is Watchtower Duty." He replied, turning to Cyborg. "Dude… I swear if I patrol those hallways one more time, I'm gonna lose my mind."

"Like you ever had one." Speedy commented, earning a laugh from the surrounding heroes.

Raven was never famous for her sense of humor, so no one was really surprised when she did not laugh. While she displayed no signs of amusement on the outside, she smiled inwardly. Thinking back to their first battle with Mad Mod, she had once said something like that about Beast Boy, and it had gotten a laugh out of him at the time. Turning to the others, she decided to change the direction of the conversation.

"So, Aqualad… You and Bumblebee joined the Justice League too?" Raven asked.

Aqualad nodded in response. "Of course… though I have to admit that I wasn't quite sure about the idea of seeing him again." He replied, looking slightly hesitant.

Beast Boy cocked an eyebrow, looking thoroughly confused. "Uh, dude… who's the him you're talking about?"

"He's talking about Aquaman." Bumblebee cut in, looking slightly exasperated. "I heard that he had a disagreement with his mentor."

"Sounds like Batman and Dick Grayson all over again." Cyborg commented.

Speedy laughed at the irony. "No… sound more like the dispute between me and Green Arrow."

Aqualad shook his head. "Nah… I don't think that it's that bad. Besides, I heard that Batman and Dick decided to put it aside after all this time."

The red-clad archer smirked. "Speak of the devil, where's bird boy anyway? I heard he visited the Watchtower fairly recently."

"He vowed that he would be back. I spoke to him using this device, but he said he was not finished with what he wanted to do." Starfire said, grasping the bird-shaped communicator in her hand like a talisman. Despite the fact that he had left again, she actually felt all right about the whole thing. After all, he was at least thoughtful enough to give her a means of communication.

"Yo dudes, maybe we should give him a buzz." Beast Boy replied, turning into a bee for a second, before resuming his human form. "Get it… buzz."

Cyborg pushed the green changeling back into his seat, groaning in annoyance. "Dude… that's not funny."

"What are you talking about, it was hilarious…" Beast Boy retaliated, looking around for support. When no one said anything, he slipped down into his chair, sulking like a child.

Raven watched her old friend with interest. While he had finally grown a little bit taller, he was still the same old Beast Boy. While she would never admit it to anyone else, she actually enjoyed his bad jokes. Turning towards the group, she realized that all of them had diverted their attention back to her.

"All right… I'll tell you what we know so far about the current situation, but I would appreciate it if you guys could let me get a little bit of rest after that. Although, I'm betting that you know some of it by now." She replied, sounding slightly defeated.

The group exchanged quick nods. Settling herself into her chair, she told them everything that she knew about the case so far. Being members of the League, they had already heard about most of it, but her story filled in some details, and covered the new developments that had happened earlier that day.

"Dudes! That's messed up!" Beast Boy shouted, jumping up like a frog. "Demon army… End of the world! Slade and an army of bad guys!" he reiterated, sounding slightly deranged.

"Calm down BB." Cyborg replied, stuffing a notepad into his mouth.

"Yes…" Starfire piped in. "Surely the situation is not as terrible as it sounds."

Raven shook her head in response. "Trust me… this isn't something that should be taken lightly. Beast Boy's right to be scared."

"I'm not scared." The green changeling retaliated, drawing himself up to his full height. After a few moments, he realized that this was not time to goof around.

The blue-clad spell caster shot him a scrutinizing stare… her eyes focusing in on him like prison beacons. After a few moments, the green-skinned hero backed down like a cornered animal.

"Okay… Maybe a little…" he replied looking slightly disappointed in his own reaction to the situation. "We've faced terrible dangers before, and we know that the Justice League members have been in situations equally as dangerous, if not more. I think we can stop him… I mean, we do have one crystal."

Raven smiled inwardly, feeling a rush of confidence from what he had just said to them. His answer also earned a collective nod of approval from the other heroes. While he was often considered the clown of the group, he was always reliable when it came time to being a hero and a friend. It wasn't Dick Grayson, who had led the Teen Titans to victory during their battle with the Brotherhood of Evil… it was Beast Boy.

To her relief, the other heroes honored their deal, bidding her farewell as they left. While she cared about her friends, she was quite exhausted from the day's events, and needed some rest. When they had all left, she decided to have a cup of tea, and go to bed.

MEANWHILE 

Slade was so close to gaining what he desire, that he could already taste victory. Once he had conquered the Earth, no one would ever stand in his way again. Sitting back in his chair, the masked villain began to realize how far he had come in the last decade of his life.

He had started as a mere assassin, eventually becoming a crime lord. He then assembled an army of state of the art robots to do his work for him, inspiring terror throughout the criminal underworld. He had even hired other villains to do his work for him, especially when dealing with the Teen Titans a few years ago. He had let them survive… watched them become stronger. Of course he probably could have disposed of them if he really wanted to, but thinking back, he had always enjoyed toying with his opponents. Torturing and killing his enemies was always a part of who he was, but now he was taking his villainy to a new level.

After hearing about the disappearance of Lex Luthor, Slade had immediately thought of the brilliant idea of rebuilding the Legion of Doom. After all, an organization of such power could no go without a leader, and had fallen apart without one. Getting criminals, loners, thieves, psychos, sociopaths, and murderers to work together was more challenging than he had anticipated, but he had achieved it. Every villain wants something, and he knew that he could promise each villain what they desired under his new world order.

The masked villain smiled as these thoughts went through his head, realizing how well his plan had gone so far. His strategies had worked perfectly so far, and the Justice League had fallen into each and every trap that he set. If Joker hadn't messed up the first mission, his plans would have already come to fruition. The Clown Prince of Crime had recently quit, but who really needed the help of someone so unstable anyway. After all, the homicidal maniac had already proved that he was incapable to work as a member of a group.

A sudden knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Come in." The masked crime lord replied.

Klarion entered the room, a vindictive happiness on his face. "I found a spell that will allow us to access Trigon's alter." He announced triumphantly, his cat walking around his ankles as he spoke. "Shall I get started?" he asked.

"No not yet." Deathstroke replied, shaking his head. "We shall use your spell when the time is right, but no sooner."

The warlock cocked an eyebrow, an irritated look on his face. "And when shall I perform the spell?" he asked indignantly."

Slade grinned behind his mask, the shadows giving him a sinister appearance. "Calm yourself… we must first obtain the last crystal…"

"The Justice League has it. They know of its true nature, so I highly doubt that it will be easy for us to obtain." the witch boy replied. "They probably keep it aboard the Watchtower…"

The masked villain appeared to be unfazed by the concept. "Exactly… Which is where we must go if we are to take it back."

Klarion looked aghast, but decided to leave his employer to his own insane idea. Little did he know, Slade had already come up with a plan.

**IN GOTHAM CITY**

Nightwing glided through the night, circling the buildings of Gotham City like a vigilant hawk. He was getting close to his destination, and if everything went well, this whole ordeal facing the Justice League could be over. He had heard from multiple sources that the Joker had recently quit the Legion of Doom, but chances were that the Clown Prince of Crime knew some things that could help them defeat the group of villains.

Sighting a building below, Nightwing landed a block away from it to avoid any immediate detection. No doubt the Joker and his gang went back to the old warehouse in Gotham to sulk for a while. He really wasn't surprised that their slippery friend had quit… the insane villain really was never good at working in a group. Taking a few steps forward, he came to the door of the old warehouse. While this situation could be a trap, Nightwing was more than ready to deal with any possible threat. In one swift motion, he kicked the door of its hinges, proceeding into the darkened building.

Moving forward into the hallway, the young hero placed a pair of night goggles on his face, allowing him to see the entire room. Even in the dark, he had trained himself to watch out for traps. Stepping over multiple trip wires, he looked to the left to see a large hammer handing from the ceiling and a series of anvils. He had suspected as much… when you fight the Joker, expect the unexpected. After a few minutes of avoiding traps, he could hear the villain's distinct voice behind the nearby door.

As he entered the room, he caught sight of the Joker's motley crew. The villain himself sat in a large armchair in front of the fireplace, looking completely relaxed despite the sudden intrusion. "Well… if it isn't bird boy." He replied, grinning at the new arrival.

Nightwing glared at the clownish villain. "Your finished… Joker."

The Clown Prince of Crime sat back in his chair as Nightwing charged at him, reclining back as if he hadn't a care in the world. "Oh children… Uncle Joker needs you." He shouted, letting out a maniacal laugh.

As soon as he said this, two large men wearing clown makeup, moved protectively in front of their leader. Charging forward, the pair of thugs attacked like wild animals.

In one swift movement, Nightwing kicked the first man in the stomach, sending him headfirst into a brick wall. The second man let out a roar of fury, charging at him like a bull. He had anticipated this, and dodged sideways, allowing him to seize the man by his through and push him through the nearby window. The glass shattered, sending shard flying everywhere.

"Oh Harley…" Joker called, looking slightly amused.

The female jester stepped into the room, carrying a tray of cookies. While she was still a little angry at him for giving her the boot earlier, she always went back to him. "Yes Mistah J."

"Take care of the little pest would you."

"Okey Dokey." She replied, tossing her tray of cookies at the hero. The baked goods exploded, creating a cloud of smoke.

"What did you put in those anyway?" the clownish villain asked.

Before he cold answer, Nightwing sprang forward through the smoke at the insane villain. Joker laughed manically, flipping out of his chair to avoid injury. The young hero turned around to retaliate, but found himself face to face with Harley Quinn. The female jester took out a shotgun, a wide smile on her face.

Flipping into the air, the hero escaped her blast, kicking the weapon out of her hand as he leapt. The female villain scowled like a disobedient child, backing away from him cautiously. Seizing her chance, she reached for her boxing glove shooter, but as soon as she pointed the weapon at him, he had disarmed her with a birdarang. Out of options, the former psychiatrist aimed a punch at her opponent.

Nightwing dodged her blow, allowing him to seize her by the wrists. With her arms restrained, he was able to poke a syringe filled with an anesthetic into her arm. Her eyes widened in shock for a few seconds before she lost consciousness.

"Two more for Arkham tonight." Nightwing replied, turning to the Clown Prince of Crime.

Joker let out a maniacal laugh, before his expression stiffened. "Oh come now. It'll take more than Batman's old chore boy to take me in." he mocked, a slightly amused expression appearing on his face.

Nightwing's expression hardened, becoming cold and unforgiving. Taking out his old fighting stick, the former boy wonder swung at Joker with impressive agility, but met only thin air. The clownish villain was a lot faster than he looked.

"While I'd love to continue this, but Uncle J has places he'd rather go." The insane villain replied, taking out a large weapon from the wall. Turning around, he fired a few rounds from his machine gun, causing his pursuer to take cover behind the couch. Seizing his chance, the Joker leapt through the window to escape.

Nightwing cursed under his breath, following attempting to follow the Clown Prince of Crime. Taking flight, he glided through the night, raining down birdarangs at the fleeing villain.

"Take this fly boy." Joker shouted, preparing to fire another round, but as he looked down at his weapon, he found that it had been damaged. A blinking device had been stuck to his weapon. Throwing aside the useless machine gun, the weapon exploded like a bomb.

Staring down at the destroyed weapon, Nightwing was sure that he hadn't been the one to hit.

"Time's up clown." Batgirl replied, stepping out of an alleyway. It's a good thing that Batman told me to keep an eye on you. 

"Oh no, what to do… Ah yes, I remember." the clownish villain spat, tossing an exploding doll at Batgirl. The female superhero had expected this, leaping sideways at the last second to avoid the blast.

Nightwing landed on the ground a few feet from the Joker, tossing one of his birdarangs at him. The insane villain leapt backwards, spraying the stream of acid out of the flower on his suit. The pair of heroes moved aside to avoid the deadly substance as it ate away at the ground where they had just been standing. Joker whipped around, attempting to flee again, but lost his balance and toppled over onto the tar.

"Game over…" Nightwing replied, holding the end of a rope.

Batgirl launched a net from the end of her net launched, binding the Joker's entire body as he attempted to break free. She smiled triumphantly. "So… should we send him back to the Asylum." She replied, as he bent down and injected an anesthetic into the struggling villain's arm.

Nightwing shook his head. "Not just yet, I came after this clown for a reason." He replied, shifting his gaze to Barbara. "By the way… what are you doing here?"

"I came because Batman told me to keep an eye out for the Joker. He had a feeling that you were going to try something like this, and he figured that you could use some help."

"Thanks anyway… but I didn't need your help." He said, turning his back to her.

"What's a matter tough guy? Just because you were the leader of that little group of teenage heroes, you think you're too good to accept help." She retaliated, casting him a disapproving look.

"That's not what I meant… this is my mission." He replied coldly. "I'll thank you for now… but maybe you should start to think about becoming more independent like me."

Batgirl shook her head, looking resolute. "You may have had some conflicts with Batman, but I don't really have any complaints right now. Besides… someone has to watch Gotham while he's not here."

"He told you that… didn't he." Nightwing replied.

The female hero scowled at him. "You are so…"

"Never mind that." He replied, holding his hand up to silence her. "Can you get Harley Quinn back to Arkham Asylum? She's in the warehouse over there. I need to take Joker back to the Watchtower so that the League can question him. Meet me in an hour at Arkham."

Batgirl nodded, looking slightly annoyed by his behavior. "Fine…" she replied coldly, turning back towards the warehouse to retrieve the insane psychiatrist.

Nightwing shook his head, looking slightly irritated. "Woman…" he muttered, picking up the Joker's unconscious form and carrying him away.

NOTE TO READERS: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. If there are any girls reading this fanfiction, I didn't mean anything sexist by Nightwing's last line so don't get angry. Yeah, I know the beginning od the chapter was kind of boring, but not everyone knows what's going on. What's going to happen to Joker and what's Slade up to, find out next chapter. Keep reviewing, it motivates me to write more chapters.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25: Master Plan Revealed **

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters or logos.

Joker sat in the very same chair that Killer Frost had been bound to weeks earlier. Staring around the Watchtower's interrogation room, he was actually rather impressed by the large number of questioning devices in the chamber. Lie detectors, computers, voice analyzers, and large stacks of paper lined the edges of the room, and from the looks of them, the Justice League used these devices on a regular bases.

No doubt Batman was usually the one to in charge of criminal interrogation aboard the space station. The Clown Prince of Crime had been fighting Batman for many years, and had seen the Dark Knight force information out of countless villains. The Caped Crusader was good at using psychology to force information out of people, but this rarely worked on the Joker himself, and both of them knew it. Being completely crazy did have some advantages.

As these thoughts went through the Joker's mind, a triumphant smirk crept its way onto his face. Besides, even if they did send him back to Arkham Asylum, he'd be out in a matter of weeks, or maybe even less. It had become a regular cycle by now, and there were even instances when he spent time in that institution just to get some rest. After all, the infamous manic had broken out of his cell so many times it had become a weekly event at the Asylum. Some times he would even leave his room to go for a walk around the place, just to return willingly an hour later. No matter how many times that those fools increased the security on and around his cell, the Clown Prince of Crime would always find a way to escape.

The more he thought about this, the more his thoughts began to shift towards Batman. Yes he hated that miserable flying rodent more than any other villain in Gotham. Despite neither of them having any superpowers, the two of them were part of what may be one of the longest standing rivalries in the history of crime. One day, the infamous lunatic hoped to prove to the world that his comedic genius and unique sense of humor were better than mask and a bag of gadgets.

As he continued to ponder over the way his career as a villain had gone so far, the creaking of the door interrupted his pattern of thought. The insane villain grinned as he caught sight of his most hated opponent. Batman sidled into the room, closing the door behind him with a metallic clang. The Dark Knight stepped forward into the light, bearing down on the Joker with a look of loathing and disgust.

"Joker…" Batman hissed, glaring at the crazed villain.

The Clown Prince of Crime grinned through the shadows, his teeth visible in the dim light of the interrogation room. "Well if it isn't Batman. I was surprised when you sent those miserable dogs after me. I heard that you and your playmates have been busy dealing with Slady and his little club."

The Caped Crusader approached Joker, looking calmer than he had seconds before. "We need some information and I need that you were a member of Deathstroke's Secret Society of super villains."

Joker laughed manically for a few moments before answering. "Oh come now Bats, you must be slipping if you hadn't heard that I left that crowd."

"Actually… I did, which is why I told Nightwing and Batgirl to keep an eye on you." Batman replied. "It appears that they were successful in capturing you clowns…"

A wild look of understanding dawned on Joker's face, making him seem oddly cheerful for someone in his predicament. "I get it now… You think you can get me to sing like a bird and tell you where they are. Is that it?"

Batman nodded solemnly, looking as if he would like to strike him. "Tell me what I want to know, or I will personally see to it that you will regret it." He replied in a low tone of voice. Reaching over, the Caped Crusader seized him by the throat, lifting up the chair as he hoisted Joker into the air.

The clownish villain laughed manically, looking completely deranged. "Oh come now Batman, you and I both know that you don't have it in yourself to kill me. If you wanted to, you would have done it years ago."

The Dark Knight shot him a death glare, dropping him onto the ground like trash. The insane villain struggled for a few moments, attempting to free himself from the steel binders shackled around his arms and legs. Moving behind him, Batman kicked the back of the chair, pushing him into an upright position.

Joker laughed again, looking completely unfazed. "Your methods may drive some people into madness, but me… I'm already crazy." He finished, giving the hero an insane look of triumph as he spoke.

"Talk…" Batman hissed, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Why do you care about what happens to the Legion of Doom anyway?"

"What an insult… I couldn't care less for that group of party poopers." Joker spat, looking thoroughly enraged. "Not a single one of them let me have my fun while I was in the fold."

"Then why waste my time… just tell me where they are right now."

Joker smiled again, his expression widening. "And why would I help you. As much as I hate them… I despise you even more." Joker commented, sitting back in his chair as if he were relaxing after a hard day's work.

The two enemies sat in silence, both of them glaring at each other through the dim light. After a few moments, the Joker thought of something that could benefit him. "However… I could be persuaded to tell you what you want if you give me something I want…"

"Such as?"

The Clown Prince of Crime smiled again, pretending to think as he watched Batman's patience beginning to surface. "Oh, I don't know… maybe… a pardon for all of my past endeavors."

Batman shook his head, looking as if he had reached the end of his patience. "No."

"Oh c'mon Bats… I heard you gave Lexy a presidential pardon, why not me?"

"That was different."

"And why would you say that it is different?" Joker commented, grinning confidently. "He was a naughty, and just because he does you spandex-wearing fools a favor, you chose to grant him complete forgiveness for his crimes. Sounds to me like the system's just as crazy as I am."

"There were some complications… Now, I'm giving you one more chance to tell us what you know."

"Doesn't sound like there's much in it for me."

The hero had reached the end of his tolerance. "Enough… I gave you a chance to cooperate, but now we'll have to handle this in a different way." Batman replied, turning his back to the insane villain. " J'onn he's all yours." He replied, signaling for the Martian. In a matter of seconds, the green alien had phased through the door like a ghost. Batman gave him a quick nod as he stepped aside, deciding that they had no other alternative at this point.

J'onn J'onzz took a few steps towards the Joker, his hand outstretched like a weapon. After a few moments, the alien closed his eyes as the he began to probe the villain's mind for the answer to their question. The Martian's eyes gave off a crimson red glow as he fell into a meditative trance, searching through the insane criminal's twisted thoughts. After a few moments, the Martian fell to his knees, turning to Batman for help.

The Caped Crusader crossed the room, helping the Martian stand as he led him over to a chair on the other side of the room. "J'onn… what happened."

The Martian exhaled in shock as he stared at the Joker's unconscious form. "Having such a twisted mind, I could not see his thoughts without using a slightly more complicated method of probing his mind. It was simple enough a task to find the information we sought, but the little that I was able to see of his mind was definitely different from that of the average person."

Batman nodded in response. "That was to be expected… did you get everything he knew about Deathstroke's plans."

"Yes… we'll meet in the control room to discuss this matter later, but perhaps you should send the Joker back to Arkham before you do anything else." J'onn replied. After a few moments, the alien brushed off his cape and strode from the room, giving Batman a small nod as he left.

Turning around, the Dark Knight noticed that Joker had regained consciousness. "You cheated…" he spat, glaring at Batman like an angry hyena. "That wasn't fair."

Batman ignored the Joker's yelling as he thrust a syringe into the villain's arm, injecting him with an anesthetic. The drug worked quickly, rendering him unconscious. Turning back towards the door, he signaled to the personnel standing guard outside.

"Send him back to Arkham." He ordered. The two workers nodded, and in a matter of seconds they had seized the Joker and carried him off to the transporter.

Letting out a slow breath, Batman followed after them like a silent shadow.

**WITH NIGHTWING **

Nightwing walked through the halls of the Watchtower, glad that he had succeeded in capturing the Joker. Barbara was with him tonight, but despite the fact that she had chosen to accompany him tonight, the two heroes remained strangely silent towards each other. They had shared a brief relationship a while ago, but the break-up was the least of the reasons why they were acting so distant. The two of them had a difference in opinion about many things, thus fueling the conflict between them. Yet over the years, they had always managed to remain friends.

Tired of his cold behavior, Batgirl moved in front of him, holding her arm out. "Will you talk to me already? You've been as silent as a mouse ever since we handed clown boy over to the League."

"What?" he answered nonchalantly, avoiding her piercing gaze.

"Why the hell do you think Batman wanted us to capture the Joker? I mean… what could he possibly know that's so important."

"It's League business…" Nightwing answered, looking indifferent to the fact.

Batgirl laughed at him, sounding slightly amused. "You sound just like Bruce. Just tell me what's going on."

Nightwing gave her a blank stare. "If you really want to know so much, then ask him yourself…"

"You really are Bruce's sidekick." Barbara answered, smiling devilishly behind him back. She had a feeling that what she had just said was bound to get a rise out of him.

The former boy wonder scowled at her, casting her an irritated glare. "Fine, I'll tell you if you promise never to say that again…"

"Deal." She replied, looking triumphant.

"I heard word that the Joker quit that Secret Society of villains that's been causing so much trouble around the world."

Understanding dawned on her face after a few moments. "So if Joker was a member, then…"

"Exactly…" Nightwing interjected. "I had a feeling that we might be able to get some information out of him. So I decided to go back to Gotham and capture him for interrogation."

"You captured him?" she replied, sounding indignant. "Who was the one who bound the creep, and allowed you to render him unconscious?"

Nightwing gave her a shadow of a smile as they continued to walk. "I guess you do deserve some credit…"

"Thanks for including me." She replied, giving him a small laugh.

As they continued to walk together, it felt like old times. The female hero had always liked pestering him on occasion, and now she remembered why they had been friends for so long. He had always been a stubborn piece of work, but that was just who he was. Dick Grayson was a reliable friend and an excellent hero who always put one hundred percent of his effort into something that he believed in. While the answer that he had given her was vague, it was what she wanted to know, so there really wasn't mush of a reason to complain. Considering all of this, she decided that it would probably be a good idea to change the subject.

"So, are you seeing anyone." She asked, trying to add to the conversation.

The former boy wonder turned his back to her for a second, his expression softening. While he wasn't the kind of person that you would consider heartless, Dick Grayson was never great at expressing his emotions, and that had often caused complications. "Actually… yeah."

Batgirl tapped him on the shoulder, looking curious. "Who is it?"

"Why are you so interested in my love life." He replied in an indignant fashion. "Are you jealous or something?"

"You wish!" she replied with a laugh, looking thoroughly amused by his reaction.

The former sidekick smiled as he thought of what to say. "And what's with my love life. What about you and Bruce."

Barbara blushed, looking slightly angry. "That's been over for a while. The last time I checked, Batman had an interest in Diana."

"I think he's afraid of commitment…" Nightwing stated. "From what I heard, he doesn't think it would work."

"You're one to criticize." She replied sarcastically. "Your girlfriend's that alien girl from your old Teen Titans team, right? Wasn't her name Starfire?"

Nightwing nodded solemnly, looking slightly nervous. "I'll admit that there were complications in that relationship, but I've been trying to make it up to her for what I did."

Batgirl raised an eyebrow, giving him a look of disbelief. "And how do you plan to do that. Take it from me, you were never the romantic type."

"I talked to the Martian, and apparently Starfire has Watchtower duty today. I thought it would be a good idea if I paid her a visit tonight before I left."

Batgirl nodded, looking slightly disappointed. "Oh, I had been hoping that we could talk for a while. Maybe I should go back to the transporter, and head back to Gotham." Barbara replied, glancing at her watch. "It's getting kind of late anyway."

The former boy wonder nodded, realizing that she was doing him a favor by letting him go to see his friends. "Sorry, maybe some other time."

"No, it's fine." She replied, giving him a small peck on the cheek as she turned to leave.

"Thanks Barbara…" he replied, giving her a small smile as she headed in the opposite direction towards the main hanger. He just hoped that Starfire had finally forgiven him for leaving her all alone years ago. Granted he hadn't been the one to dissolve the Teen Titans, but without him, they all drifted apart. Perhaps what Starfire had said years ago was true, but he hoped that he could earn the trust of his teammates again.

From his most recent conversation with Starfire on the communicator, the other four Titans had all gotten back together, and had begun to see each other during their free time. While being a member of the Justice League was often a very busy life, they had still been able to rekindle their old friendship. He hoped that one day he could do the same.

Bringing his thoughts back to the present, he continued to walk through the hallways of the Watchtower. Turning into the cafeteria, he was surprised to find Starfire sitting as if she were waiting for him to arrive.

"ROBIN!" she exclaimed in a jubilant tone, pulling out a chair for him to sit.

The former boy wonder gave her a shadow of a smile as he crossed the room and took the seat next to her. "Star… it's Nightwing now, remember?"

Starfire looked embarrassed. "Oh, sorry. It is just that you were Robin for so long that I had grown used to calling you by your old name."

"Just call me Nightwing, or Dick." He replied. "I don't go by that title anymore.

The Tamaranean princess nodded, giving him a big smile as she did. "It is just wonderful to see you again." She replied.

Looking around the table, Nightwing began to wonder where the other members of his old team had gone. "Hey Star… Where are Cyborg and Raven?"

"They are currently on duty." Starfire replied. "Beast Boy has also joined us here as well, and become a full time member of the League like the rest of us."

"I see…"

"Do you plan to stay with us?" Starfire asked, looking hopeful at the prospect.

Nightwing shook his head solemnly. "I'm sorry Star… but I came here on League business and I'm not planning on staying here for too much longer."

"Oh, I understand…" the Tamaranean replied, her tone remarkably softer than it had been moments before. "Can you stay and catch up with the others before you go. I am certain that Beast Boy will be most happy to see you after four years."

"I guess that wouldn't be a bad idea."

The alien princess gave him a jubilant smile, filled with childlike excitement. "Excellent! We can meet in the place where Raven is staying and discuss the old times." She exclaimed joyfully, her eyes alive with happiness.

"Same old Starfire…" Nightwing muttered under his breath as his girlfriend seized him by the wrist, dragging him through the hallways like a new dog. He probably looked pretty foolish right now, but this time he would make an exception.

The Tamaranean Princess released his wrist, allowing him to run of his own accord. While Nightwing was normally a calm and collected individual, he raced after her in an attempt to keep up. Glancing backwards, he caught sight of Batgirl who had been heading in the same direction. Barbara Gordon laughed at the former boy wonder, having seen him in his previous predicament.

"Can't get the girls to stop running away from you?" Batgirl called after him.

Turning around, Nightwing flashed her a small smile. "Wait till you get into a relationship. I promise I'll get a lot of mileage out of it." He shouted back towards her as he continued onwards to the main hanger.

Entering the main room, he broke out of his run, ascending the stairs where Starfire was already waiting.

**WITH SLADE**

Deathstroke stood with his group of associates, all of them admiring his new base outside of Jump City. While it wasn't as large as the place back in Metropolis, he felt that abandoning and destroying his old hideout was a necessary precaution. Word on the street was that Joker had been captured, and if the Martian was able to extract any information out of him, the League was sure to attack.

He was disappointed by the sudden problem, but it was easily remedied, and he had much more important things to worry about right now. Grinning behind his mask, he turned towards the large monitor in front of him. On the giant computer screen was a full-scale diagram of the Watchtower's layout, as well as a copy of their current work schedule.

The information on the monitor was the key to their victory, and had been extremely difficult to obtain. Luckily for him, he had Warp's help. The futuristic villain was extremely useful, able to create portals that could lead them almost anywhere in time and space. It had also been how they had entered the Phantom Zone and captured Doomsday, and how many of the villains had made their escape from the Justice League's grasp.

Using his technology, Warp had teleported several Legion members into one or the old Project Cadmus laboratories and steal copies of the Watchtower's Blueprints. While Cadmus had long been shut down, their institutions still contained anti-superhero information that had never been deleted. Slade had shared his plans with the main members of the Legion, but had received little cooperation so far.

"You can't be serious!" Metallo snapped, glaring at the masked villain. "An attack on the Watchtower! What madness is this?"

Slade turned away from his associates. "Clam yourselves, I have not finished explaining the Master Plan.

"What Master Plan?" Mirror Master asked. "The one where you have us waltz into a fortress filled with active superheroes and get ourselves captured."

"Mirror freak's got a point." Killer Frost added in, looking slightly unsure.

"We would be fools to just walk in and try steal the last crystal." Sinestro replied, earning nods from Star Sapphire.

"I'd be willing to bet that even Joker wouldn't have went for it." Poison Ivy said with a combination of amusement and disapproval in her voice.

Slade let out a hollow laugh as he listened to their cowardly pleas.

"I fail to see what's so funny." Toyman asked, cocking his plastic covered head to the side in confusion. "If your plan doesn't work, then it could be the end of us."

Klarion snorted, looking slightly irritated. "They have a point you know…"

The masked villain ignored them as he formulated a plan in his head. The Watchtower was filled with powerful heroes, but if they could somehow thin out the ranks, than it would be possible to infiltrate. Use of Warp's equipment would complicate things because the Space Station probably had some kind of defense against outside infiltration through the use of technology. The League had a lot of experts that could easily build devices to counter Warp's vortex device. The more an more he thought about it, the more he began to doubt the mission.

Thinking back, he remembered when Lex Luthor hijacked the Watchtower's laser cannon and targeted Cadmus Headquarters. The blast had been so powerful, that it had nearly decimated the surrounding town. As he went over this in his mind, he remembered hearing about the heroes leaving to help the people. Of course… the answer had been in front of him the entire time. Such a factor had always been present in his battles with the Teen Titans. The weakness of every hero was their foolish desire to protect the people.

Turning to his grumbling associates, Deathstroke smiled behind his mask. The plan that he had just formulated was perfect.

"What's so amusing?" Mirror Master asked, sounding annoyed at this point.

Slade laughed again, looking insane. "I have just figured out the weakness of the Justice League."

Poison Ivy cocked an eyebrow. "And that would be what now?"

"Their foolish desire to defend the weak." Slade replied, turning back towards the monitor. Seizing a remote from the control panel, he pointed it at the computer screen. In a couple of clicks, the Blueprints of the Watchtower vanished, three-dimensional image of the Earth appearing on the screen. "Here is my plan."

"It's just a picture of the world." Clayface said, looking disappointed.

"Be silent, and allow me to finish my explanation." Slade replied in a calm tone of voice. "I recently obtained some state-of-the-art nano-technology which I have applied to my robot army."

Klarion cast his employer a confused look. "I thought that you wanted to use magic, not technology."

Deathstroke nodded, looking sinister. "That will come to pass when the crystals are mine, but I must improvise for now." Clicking on multiple locations on the diagram, a few points lit up on the surface of the Earth's image. "By having my armies of robots attack these separate locations, we can distract the Justice League long enough to launch our strike on the weakened space station. These locations are strategically placed around the world to spread the League as far as possible from one another."

Metallo smiled, looking completely deranged. "So if we attack the innocent people on Earth for no apparent reason, than those fools will have no choice but to come and help."

"Precisely…" Slade replied, his visible eye glimmering maliciously through the eyehole of his mask.

"How long do you think it will take before they destroy your cheap robots and realize that it was a trap?" Warp questioned, looking slightly unsure. "If they figure it out, there's not much hope that we'll succeed."

The masked villain laughed again, his voice low and venomous. "That will not be an issue. I assure you that I have already developed two solutions to that problem. To begin with, I have created more than enough killing machines to satisfy the requirement, and I have already obtained information on where in the Watchtower the Justice League is hiding the last crystal."

"And what if they return in time." Clayface replied. "Those guys always seem to show up at the worst possible time."

Slade had anticipated these uncertainties, and had already thought up a countermeasure for it. "In that case, I have already assembled multiple devices in the different locations. These devices will activate as soon as they are appear via the Watchtower's transportation system."

"What do they do?" Sinestro asked.

The masked villain smiled proudly at his own intelligence. "The devices will interfere with the Justice League's transporter signal. By doing this, they will not be able to use the Watchtower's transporter without leaving the area, or destroying the devices.

"I see." Toyman replied, bouncing on his feet and clapping like an excited child. "I can hardly wait."

The unruly group of villains exchanged uneasy glances, but nodded in approval of the plan. If this went well, they would be one major step closer to achieving the ultimate goal. Turning on his heel, the masked villain left the control room, entering the main meeting room. The room was the size of a small cathedral, with a normal ceiling rather than a tall structure. The entrance that he had just used led to an elevated platform at the end of the room, allowing him to get a decent view of the rooms occupants. Many more villains had joined the organization than before, and he would need all the help he could get for this next mission.

Criminals of all sorts occupied nearly every seat, filling the hall to its maximum capacity. As he eyed the crowd of unruly villains, Slade couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. Nearly every member of the Legion was present for tonight's meeting, and he had earned the loyalty or respect from almost all of them.

The primary members of the Legion stood on the platform behind him, having followed him out of the control room moments earlier. Sinestro, Metallo, Warp, Klarion, Clayface, Star Sapphire, Mirror Master, Captain Cold Poison Ivy, Toyman, Killer Frost, Roulette, and Giganta, stood behind him as they bore down upon the room's occupants.

There were even more members present tonight than during their first meeting, among these villains were Mr. Freeze, Psimon, Killer Crock, Livewire, Ding Dong Daddy, Twoface, Cheshire, Turtleman, Deadshot, Mumbo Jumbo, Bizarro, Doctor Alchemy, Atomic Skull, Puppet King, Volcana, Heatwave, Control Freak, Major Disaster, Johnny Rancid, Plastique, Evil Star, Scarecrow, Electrocutioner, Killer Moth, Clock King, Doctor Light, Cheetah, Blockbuster, Riddler, Professor Chang, Doctor Destiny, Sonar, Brother Blood, Roulette, Trident, Luminous, Mad Hatter, Atlas, The Ventriloquist and Scarface, Captain Boomerang, The Master of Games, Plasmus, Cinderblock, and Overload.

"My friends…" Slade called across the room, causing the unruly mob of criminals to turn their heads towards him. "Tomorrow, we begin the ultimate plan. Soon, the world will see the end of the Justice League… and the beginning of our dominion."

His statement earned a chorus of terrible cheers and evil laughter from the audience. Many of the villains clashed their glasses together in a toast, as the world's most powerful villains joined in the celebration. If Deathstroke's plan succeeded, all of the riches, money, and power, would belong to them.

Slade simply grinned behind his mask as he returned to the control room to finish the details of tomorrow's plan.

NOTE TO READERS: Happy New Year! Sorry for the cliffhanger, but you'll have to wait a little bit for the action chapter(s). The fun begins next chapter, so please review and I'll see if I can get it up on the website. I was limited in the use of villains to a certain degree, thanks to Killer Frost eliminating Shade, Parasite, Goldface, and a number of other villains during the events at the end of Justice League Unlimited. I thought of using the members of the Hive Five, but thought against it, considering that they're more of an annoyance than real villains. (They really are the Hive Five now thanks to Jinx leaving) Again, I hope you guys all have a Happy New Year.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26:** **Siege of the Watchtower**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters or logos.

**NOTICE:** If you want to see an intro/opening sequence that I made for this story, go to Youtube and type "Justice League/Teen Titans Opening" in the search bar. (The thumbnail is a green energy blast)

"Your spreading us pretty thin, don't you think?" Cyborg commented, looking up from his post in the control room. "We sent members to multiple locations around the world, and there's barely anyone left on board the Watchtower."

J'onn J'onzz nodded. "We have the minimum number of heroes present for Watchtower duty. You needn't worry about any problems."

The metallic hero stood up, approaching the Martian. "If there's an emergency, we only have a handful of heroes on duty, and about half of us have non-combatant jobs."

"I understand your concerns, but you needn't worry about it… It is not your place to question my commands." The Martian stated. "We have a job to do, and people all around the world are in danger as we speak. You an I both know that armies of robots have appeared around the world and our members are currently evacuating civilians to safety."

Cyborg nodded in agreement. "I understand that much, but I've been a little bit concerned about what's going on. Raven told me yesterday that she keeps sensing danger, and she's more in tune with the world than the rest of us."

"We know, but the situation demands immediate action." the Martian replied, looking resolute in his decision.

With a sigh of defeat, the half robot hero sunk into his chair to continue his work.

Mr. Terrific sat by the main screen, as he received and processed the multiple reports coming in from the battlefield. "J'onn, Batman's on the line… He has some new developments that he thinks you should know about."

The Martian nodded, turning his back to Cyborg as he approached the main computer. "Batman, this is J'onn, I'm requesting a report."

"I have something interesting here that you might want to hear about." Batman's voice replied through the speaker on the control panel. "I'll give you a visual." In a matter of seconds, the Caped Crusader appeared on the monitor, and from the looks of his surroundings he was standing in the middle of what had previously been a battlefield.

Cyborg stared at the screen, a panicked expression on his face. Behind Batman, Justice League personnel could be seen carrying injured heroes to safety on stretchers. Wherever those robots had come from, they were tough.

"As you can see we've been having some trouble." Batman stated, his tone of voice displaying small signs of worry. "We're in over our heads out here. These annoying robots have the ability to regenerate and repair themselves without any outside intervention."

The Martian looked down at the floor for a few seconds, a hint of concern present. "Have you been able to discover any way to destroy them?"

Batman nodded. "Many of them have already been destroyed, but to do it we have to destroy the robot's core program."

"What can you tell me so far?"

"Steel and Atom helped me analyze the remains of one of the destroyed robots. We were able to conclude that whoever or whatever created these things applied some type of nano-tech to increase the capabilities of the machines."

"Do you have any idea who is behind this?" the Martian asked.

Batman shook his head. "The technology is no where near the level of what we saw during our battle against the Dark Heart, nor is it something that Brainiac would use. We've been able to conclude that this nano-tech was manufactured on Earth, and from closer inspection, we think that it applied by human hands to the lower levels of robotics."

"What will you do on the field."

Batman glanced around the battlefield for a few moments, his eyes settling on the unconscious forms of his fellow heroes. The medics were tending to them, but he couldn't help but feel concerned about their condition. "We could use a little backup…" he replied, turning back towards the screen.

The Martian shook his head, a slight look of resentment on his face. "We are currently spread to the limit. Do you think that you handle the situation by yourself?"

"We'll be fine for now." Batman replied. "But if the enemy number continue to multiply, then we're going to run into some complications."

"Understood… Watchtower out."

Switching off the monitor, J'onn J'onzz collapsed into his chair, in thought. "Perhaps the situation is much more dire than we originally anticipated."

"What do we do?" Mr. Terrific asked, turning to the Martian for answers.

The alien nodded, looking slightly conflicted. "I am not entirely sure about what we can do right now, but for the time being, we will wait to see how this situation turns out. Something tells me that this whole ordeal may be part of a much larger scheme." After a few moments of silence, the Martian turned towards the robotic hero. "Cyborg, check the generator room."

Cyborg nodded his head in agreement as he left the room. He was off on lunch break in a few minutes anyway, and he had to inspect the engine room before he could have some time to relax. Thinking about the situation, maybe he was being paranoid about the low amount of personnel on board today, but the situation outside of the Watchtower wasn't going well, and everyone knew it. They were all needed in the field, something that rarely happened in a single day. Lost in his thoughts, the robotic hero spent his entire journey analyzing the situation in every way that he possibly could. A sudden smack against the door told him that that he had made it to his desired destination.

Pushing aside the door, he entered the engine room cautiously. He could have sworn that he had heard something going on inside, and was growing suspicious. Peaking around the corner, the metallic hero found the source of the noise. A woman stood by one of the system generators with her back turned towards him. While she was wearing the uniform of a typical Watchtower staff member, he had never seen her before. Having acted as one of the space station's mechanics, Cyborg had met nearly everyone who worked on the Watchtower, both heroes and personnel. Perhaps this woman was simply a newcomer, but the fact that this stranger had entered a secure location by herself was suspicious enough to put him on alert.

Luckily for him, the woman was busy with whatever she was doing and had not been aware of his presence. She appeared to be working on the system, but Cyborg was an expert with technology, and even from this distance, he could tell that she was up to no good.

Readying himself for a conflict, the robotic hero decided to see what she was up to. He was never great when it came time to stealth work. Such things were usually left to Dick Grayson or Raven when they had been Teen Titans. Stepping out from his hiding place, he decided to confront her directly. "Good evening miss, can I help you with that?" he asked, a mocking courtesy present in his tone.

The woman gave him a confident smile, as she took a few steps away from the computer terminal. Keeping her eyes on him, she began to rummage through her pocket as if she was searching for something. "Sure… hold this." She replied, tossing a metal device in his direction.

Cyborg reached out instinctively to catch the item, but it was only a matter of seconds before he realized this grave mistake. The metallic hero panicked, attempting to discard the item, but he had reacted a moment too late. The device exploded, sending him backwards into a nearby wall as the explosion showered him with shards of metal. Seizing her chance to escape, the crafty woman made a mad dash for the door.

Shaking off the minor explosion, Cyborg bolted forward with impressive speed for a man his size. Pushing his weight against the ground, he sprang forward, landing directly in front of the doorway. The woman bounced off of his metal chest, groaning for a few seconds in pain as she got to her feet. Scowling in annoyance, the robotic hero reached forward to restrain the intruder, but the female villain was much faster than he had expected. Kicking him upside the head, she flipped backwards, moving out of his reach.

"Freeze!" the metallic hero shouted, reconfiguring his arm into an energy cannon.

The woman wore a confident expression as she returned his glare. "You wouldn't dare use that thing on me. At least not in here." She replied with a cocky smirk. Taking a few steps to the left, she positioned herself right in front of the main power core. "If you miss, you could kill us all, or send this entire space station out of orbit."

Cyborg scowled at the crafty villain as he racked his mind, trying to figure out what to do next. Unable to find a decent solution to the problem, he decided to talk to her and give himself more time to think. "Who are you and who sent you?" he asked, holding out his weapon.

"Introductions… fine. They call me Plastique." She replied, flashing him an evil grin.

"Well Plastique, if you come along quietly, we'll go easy one you." He replied, attempting to make a deal with the female villain.

Plastique let out a hollow laugh, looking amused by her captor. "You honestly think I'm just going to come along quietly. Besides… I've done my part." She replied, gesturing towards the nearby window.

The metallic hero turned towards the window, his mouth falling open as he caught sight of what she had been talking about seconds ago. A few ships had appeared in the distance, having seemingly materialized out of nowhere. The ships were flying in formation towards the Watchtower and they were coming in at a reasonable speed.

Using his distraction to her own advantage, Plastique tossed another explosive into the air, detonating it with a button on her belt. The tiny projectile burst open, releasing a dark smoke, which spread throughout the entire room. The billowing smog engulfed Cyborg's entire body, making it difficult for him to see anything. Using his robotic sensors, he reached forward into the wall of smoke, seizing the female villain by the arms and pinning her the ground.

Looking up, Cyborg could see a strange green light cleansing the room of the smog, as it cut through the smokescreen like a powerful wind. John Stewart floated the room, a green aura surrounding his body. When visibility had been restored, the Green Lantern flicked his wrist in an effortless manner, drawing the field of energy back into his power ring.

"What happened in here?" he ordered, giving the metallic hero a pronounced look of suspicion. "Did you cause an accident?"

Cyborg shook his head, giving the older hero an agitated look. "This woman came in here and messed around with the system."

"Plastique…" Green Lantern replied, glaring down at the captured villain. "But how… never mind." He replied, pointing his ring at the struggling bomber. A wave of energy burst from the end of his ring, wrapping itself around her body like a sheet, binding her in its grasp. The cloak of energy lifted her into the air pinning her against the wall. With another flick of his wrist, a second beam of energy formed into a scarf, pulling itself over her mouth to prevent her from speaking.

"We don't have time to deal with her. We've got company." Cyborg snapped impatiently, pointing his thumb towards the nearby window.

Green Lantern glanced towards the glass, catching sight of the invading ships. All of which were getting closer by the second. "What the devil is going on?" he shouted, his eyes widening in surprise.

The metallic hero nodded his head as he typed away furiously at the computers. "I'm seeing what kind of damage she did to the system. From the looks of it, she must have snuck aboard disguised as Watchtower personnel to shut down the defense systems."

"I see, whoever she's working for must've sent her to weaken our defenses so that they could attack the Watchtower. Can you bring them back online?" John Stewart asked, looking uncertain.

"Maybe… it'll take some time. Atom and Steel are a bit more familiar with the Watchtower's systems than I am, but it really doesn't matter. Those ships are within spitting distance, so we really don't have the time."

MEANWHILE 

"J'onn we have an emergency." Mr. Terrific shouted, staring at his monitor.

The Martian stood up, looking towards the main monitor. His red eyes widened in shock as he caught sight of the enemy ships heading straight for the Watchtower's landing bay. "Cyborg, activate the defense grid." He ordered, shouting into his communicator.

"I can't right now… we've been sabotaged." The half-robot hero's voice answered through the earpiece. "I'm down here with GL. He helped me capture a villain named Plastique who sabotaged our defense grid. I'll do what I can, but it's too late to reactivate them in time."

Green Lantern nodded, as he activated his own communicator. "J'onn, I'll take Plastique and head up to the main control room. If she's involved I've got a strange feeling that we're in for an all out siege on the Watchtower. I'm sure that you've already seen the ships on the monitor."

"Indeed…" the alien replied, glancing at the monitor for a few seconds.

"Relay the message to everyone, we need to set up a defense."

"Agreed, J'onn out." The Martian answered, walking towards the control panel.

"Shouldn't we call back some of the heroes on the field?" Mr. Terrific asked.

The Martian shook his head. "They are needed on the field at the moment, and for some reason we've received reports from the personnel that the teleportation beam is being jammed in the areas where most of the heroes are stationed."

"Which means that this whole thing could have been…"

"A trap." The Martian stated bluntly.

"What are we going to do?" Mr. Terrific asked from his station.

"Assemble what forces we have until reinforcements can arrive." The alien replied, looking uncertain of what else they could do. "EMERGENCY! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!" he shouted holding down the button as he shouted into the speaker. "All available heroes report to the main control room. The space station is under attack by enemy ships and we need to set up a defense in the main areas. Green Lantern will meet you in the main hanger to issue commands."

The Martian's words were met with immediate action.

Mr. Terrific nodded. "I'll scrounge up some reserve leaguers, but until we can get some help, our current forces should be enough.

"We do not know the size of their forces… but either way I don't think this is going to be that easy." The Martian replied. "Take command of the control room and continue to monitor the outgoing missions… I will take to the offensive." He said, phasing through the floor like a ghost.

**MEANWHILE**

Raven flew through the Watchtower's hallways with as much speed as she could muster. While their had never been such an emergency aboard the Watchtower as long as she had been a member of the League, she was determined to help out in any way she could.

Many of her other friends had been with her at the time, and they remained together as they headed for the main room. Starfire flew by her side, carrying Robin, while Bumblebee took care of Speedy.

The Green Changeling had transformed into a cheetah to keep up with the others as they continued their journey through the space station. While they were not sure what to expect, they had already made the resolve to face the challenges like the true heroes that they were. Turning around the corner, they bolted into the main chamber.

Joining the group of heroes, Raven realized that there really was not that many of them here tonight due to the android attacks on earth.

The only heroes present besides herself were Green Lantern, Nightwing, Starfire, Captain Atom, Beast Boy, Stargirl, STRIPE, Bumblebee, Green Arrow, Speedy, Zatanna, Shining Knight, Vigilante, and Aqualad.

"Hey dudes, where's Cyborg?" Beast Boy asked, looking around the room in hopes of catching a glimpse of the former Titan.

"Never mind." Raven hissed in his ear as they stood at attention.

Green Lantern stood at the head of the group, sizing up their abilities and skills as his eyes scanned the group. "All right… We're going to have to do this right if we are to succeed. In a matter of minutes, our forces are going to have to defend the Watchtower from an unknown enemy. Our defense system is offline, and the transporter cannot bring our heroes back from their missions due to technical issues. I can't give you any more details on the situation, but we are going to separate into different groups in order to combat the enemy."

The heroes nodded in agreement. Nightwing wasn't in the mood to be taking orders from anybody right now, but stood with an anxious expression on his face.

John Stewart returned their nod, as he determined the teams. "Raven, Beast Boy, Captain Atom, and Aqualad are staying with me in the front lines. Green Arrow, Speedy, Stargirl, STRIPE, and Bumblebee are going to be stationed in the different areas of the Watchtower. Zatanna, Nightwing, Vigilante, Shining Knight, and Starfire are going to be the backup for the main forces. If the enemy can get past us, they will be met and dealt with by the two other lines of defense. Mister Terrific is already stationed in the control room, and J'onn is keeping an eye on the entire battle. Good luck."

The heroes scattered in different directions as he finished speaking, taking up their posts as they mentally prepared themselves for battle.

"Will we be okay?" Starfire asked, sparing a glance at Nightwing as they ran back towards the main hallway.

The former boy wonder shrugged. "Not really sure about that myself. I'm not even a full time member yet here I am, helping the cause. The point is that I'm fighting aside my friends, and if I don't make it out of this, then I wasn't meant to go any further." He replied, giving her a genuine smile as he finished.

The Tamaranean Princess wiped a single tear from her face, looking slightly worried. "I do not know what awaits us, but we will be victorious." She replied, confidence filling her bright green eyes.

Nightwing nodded solemnly, but remained silent for a few moments before responding to her statement. "Yeah, there's no way we'll lose this fight." He said, giving her an uneasy smile. While he had always admired her confidence, he wasn't sure how this was going to work.

The moment ended as John Stewart's commanding voice penetrated their thoughts. "BRACE FOR IMPACT!" he shouted, projecting a large barrier around the main hanger.

Two javelin-class sized spacecrafts crashed through the iron doors of the Watchtower, landing in the main docking bay. While the ships were relatively damaged by the sudden impact, the people inside were completely unharmed. The doors of the space cruisers opened with a resounding crash, a ramp sliding into place from underneath the bottom hatch. Slade Wilson stepped out from the larger ship, a powerful presence about him.

Nightwing glared at the masked villain, his hatred building to terrible levels. The man standing before them was perhaps one of his worst enemies of all time. Deathstroke was an extremely skilled fighter, something that he had found out during their past conflicts. While he had always managed to defeat the masked villain in the past, he could never manage to best him in a one on one battle. Whenever they fought, had either had circumstance on his side, or his friends helping him. Even after all these years, Nightwing still had a sickening suspicion that he was still not as skilled a fighter as his old nemesis. He doubted that even Batman could defeat Slade in hand-to-hand combat by himself.

Tired of the tension, the former sidekick tossed several birdarangs at his old nemesis with amazing accuracy. The other heroes stared on in silence as Deathstroke effortlessly caught the weapon between his fingers, using it to parry the other projectiles.

Slade bore down upon the heroes, a sadistic smile hidden by his mask. "Take no prisoners." He commanded in a loud clear voice. As he spoke, an army of villains emerged from the ships.

NOTE TO READERS: Sorry for the cliffhanger, and thanks for your continued support. I'd appreciate some review because some people have added my story in their favorites, but refuse to review. Please give me some support.

PS: This chapter was so long at first that I had to split it in two. Even so, I'm not done writing the battle aboard the Watchtower, so give me some support and reviews, and I'll try to get it out as soon as possible.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27: Battle Aboard the Watchtower**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters or logos.

In a matter of seconds, dozens of super villains began pouring out of the space ships like water from a faucet, swarming through the Watchtower's main room like raving jackals. The army spread like liquid against stone, attacking randomly as they charged.

Green Lantern gestured forward, signaling his fellow heroes to fight. Whether flying of running, the two forces clashed, many villains slipping through the defenses, as there were too many of them for the heroes to stop. Raven just hoped that Green Arrow and his team would be able to halt them when they entered the halls, but she had troubles of her own at the moment.

Raven charged into the fray, blasting anyone within reach with a variety of powerful spells. Her magic found their targets, sending Riddler, Luminous, and Turtleman, headfirst into a wall constructed out of solid titanium. Distracted by the sudden attack, she failed to see the skull-faced Doctor Destiny standing behind her.

The insane villain placed his hand in her forehead, attempting to put her to sleep. She had heard of his tricks. He liked to trap people in endless nightmares and plague them with their worst fears until they went insane and died from the mental strain. Thinking quickly, she focused her mental powers on his body, attempting to break his hold on her. Realizing how futile in was to stave him off at this distance, the young sorceress decided to turn his own idea against him. Concentrating on her magical aura, she released her spiritual self into his body, plaguing him with a montage of his fears. After a few moments she felt his grip loosen. Calling back her astral form, she turned just in time to see him fall onto the floor, twitching uncontrollably due to the power of her illusion. Kicking his body aside, she headed back toward the battle.

Meanwhile, Beast Boy was having troubles of his own. Cornered by the super strong Bane, he transformed into a mouse long enough to slip underneath his opponent's guard. Positioning himself behind his opponent the green changeling transformed into a Tyrannosaurus Rex, smashing headfirst into villain. Thrusting his snout upward, the green shape shifter tossed the villain into the air like a ball. Slamming into a nearby wall, Bane came down onto the floor with a resounding crunch, his legs breaking in the fall.

Transforming into a bull, the green changeling charged headfirst into Killer Moth, pushing the insect-like villain into Sonar. The two villains struggled to their feet, launching their attacks on him together. Transforming into a cheetah, Beast Boy dashed at the two villains, transforming into a Rhino before the impact. The power of the rhino combined with the speed given to him by his pervious form created a deadly attack, sending both villains into a row of wooden crates.

Green Lantern squared off against Sinestro and Star Sapphire at the same time. Fighting the two of them at the same time was challenge, as one of them would have been difficult enough to defeat. The force of their attacks combined as John Stewart struggled to hold up his barrier. The blockade created by his ring was the only thing preventing them from attacking them, and if he succumbed to the constant bombardment, he would be finished. The two villains had forced him to go on the defensive. At this rate, it would be difficult to get an attack of his own through the enemy's offensive maneuvers.

Across the room, the Tamaranean Princess was struggling just to survive. Starfire charged forward through a group of villains, letting loose a wave of star bolts as they came at her. A few of the villains were thrown backwards by the force of her assault, while some of her blasts flew wildly around the room, having missed their targets. One of the stray blasts struck Star Sapphire directly in the chest, blasting her out of flight like a broken jet.

Raven hid in the shadows, formulating a battle plan as she observed the battle. Seeing an opportunity, the young sorceress sent waves of mental energy at Sinestro, splitting his focus for a few moments. The attack had its desired affect, distracting him long enough for Green Lantern to get in an attack. A blast of green energy erupted from John Stewart's power ring, bouncing harmlessly off of Sinestro's barrier.

Turning his opponent's strategy against him, John Stewart went on the offensive, blasting his opponent with constant attacks created by his power ring. Sinestro employed the same strategy, the attacks colliding in midair. Focusing hard, the two launched their most powerful blasts at each other, the beams of energy colliding in midair.

Seeing an opportunity, Raven released a powerful stream of chaos magic at Sinestro. Unable to effectively defend from both attacks, the former Green Lantern was hit with both blasts. The attacks sent him tumbling through the air, causing him to fall onto the floor with a loud crash.

The Tamaranean Princess continued her fight, smiting all enemies who came within reach with her eye beams. Doctor Alchemy took a blast to the chest, falling over like a rag doll, as Mad Mod dodged the blasts, retreating backwards to avoid injury.

Killer Croc growled in anger, diving at Starfire like an angry beast. The alien princess dodged his powerful blows, seizing him by the tail. Pulling his body upwards, she swung him around like a top, sending him flying into Plasmus' gelatinous form. The disgusting mass regurgitated the villain's unconscious body, leaving him lying on the ground.

Unaware of her next attacker, Starfire was unable to defend herself in time, and became trapped in a jungle of Poison Ivy's vines. The leafy tendrils wrapped around her body, preventing her from moving. Shooting a blast from her eyes, the young alien tore herself free from the vines, aiming a blast at her new nemesis. The energy hit a wall of vines but otherwise did not damage.

Nightwing was fighting four villains at once. Being forced to dodge Mumbo Jumbo's constant stream of spells, avoid Cinderblock's crushing fists, dodge Twoface's bullets, and avoid the knives that Roulette was attempting to force through his body. Leaping into the air, the former boy wonder whipped out his fighting stick. Using the weapon as a pole, he swung around in a circular pattern, kicking Mumbo upside the head. The impact sent the bad magician into a state of unconsciousness, allowing him to focus on the other villains

Avoiding another round of bullets, he pounced forward like a cat, kicking the pistol out of his opponent's hand. Angered by the loss of his weapon, Twoface aimed a misjudged punch. Nightwing dodged sideways with little effort, seizing the villain by his arm and sending him through the air like a weapon. The villain collided painfully with Roulette, the pair of them tumbling onto the floor in a crumpled heap.

Johnny Rancid charged forward on his motorcycle in an attempt to run Nightwing into the ground, but the crafty hero sensed his approach and dodged sideways in time to avoid the strike. The villain screamed in outrage as he crashed into Cinderblock, his bike exploding in a fiery scene. While Johnny had managed to jump free of his bike before the explosion, Cinderblock had taken the full blow, knocking the giant stone villain to his knees.

Meanwhile, Zatanna was trapped a magical duel with Klarion and his demon-like cat. The feline beast pounced forwards in an attempt to kill her master's prey, but was thrown backwards by the force of the female magician's spell. Closing her eyes, Zatanna began muttering the words to another incantation. After a few moments, a large blue aura surrounded her magic wand, spewing forth like a geyser. The stream of energy collided with the beast, causing an instant reaction. The demon fell back, its body shrinking and becoming less human-like by the second. As the smoke cleared the beast had transformed back into a cat.

"And for my next trick." The female sorceress added, turning her attention on the animal's master. Raising her wand, she began raining down a variety of spells as she approached him.

Klarion gasped in outrage as he generated a cloak of magic to defend himself from her assault. Taking a few steps backward, the witch boy turned and ran like a coward, scooping up his defeated cat as he attempted to flee the battle. One of Zatanna's spells caught him off guard, trapping the warlock and his cat like a pair of prisoners as a stream of magic bound them to the floor. Turning around, she was forced to conjure a shield to protect herself from oncoming attacks.

Aqualad was beginning to feel the strain of this fight as he fought three villains at the same time. Despite his skills, it was becoming increasingly more difficult to dodge all of the oncoming attacks. Leaping into the air, the Atlantian superhero avoided Volcana and Heatwave's powerful fire blasts. Having moved out of the way, the attacks blasted Mr. Freeze, shattering his helmet. The heat from the fiery attacks weakened the icy villain, rendering him unconscious.

Thinking quickly, the Atlantian summoned the water from the Watchtower's plumbing system, manipulating it to his will. Creating a tidal wave, he sent the wall of water crashing down on the two fiery villains, extinguishing their flames and weakening the effectiveness of their attacks. The burst of water sent them flying into a wall, knocking Heatwave out. Volcana recovered from the impact, sprinting back towards the fight in a fiery rage.

Vigilante and Shining Knight stood back to back, fending off attacks from different directions as they dodged blows from the super villain army.

Parting ways from his comrade, the cowboy-themed hero leapt behind a row of crates, using the conveniently placed item as cover. Deadshot stood across from him, shooting bullets and tossing bombs at his opponent. Distracted by the deadly assassin, Vigilante fell prey to another enemy. The evil villain Psimon emerged from the cover of the shadows, blasting the western hero with a wave of energy. Vigilante fell to the floor, his body immobilized by the blast.

Deadshot smiled as he prepared to deliver the finishing shot, but was caught off guard by a wave of birdarangs. The small projectiles fell through a vortex created by Psimon, who redirected the attack towards Nightwing, forcing the hero to flip into the air to avoid his own weapons. The attack hit an enraged Atomic Skull instead, angering the explosive villain. While he had save the life of another hero, the three villains attacking villains turned on him instead. Needless to say, this fight was getting old really fast. They were impossibly outnumbered at this point, and if the small group of heroes didn't manage to hold their own, who knows what could happen?

Psimon aimed another strike at Nightwing from behind, but Shining Knight raised his magic sword, slicing through the energy blast. With his back covered by the noble hero, Dick Grayson was free to deal with the more immediate threat.

Deadshot stood a few yards away, firing deadly blasts from his weapons at Nightwing. The former boy wonder dodged each attack as they came, carefully timing each jump as he anticipated hid opponent's moves. Disarming his opponent with a birdarang, he was able to deliver a few punches to the deadly assassin, knocking him out cold.

Atomic Skull roared in anger, wrapping his arm around Nightwing's. The villain pulled him into a vice-like hold, attempting to strangle the life out of him. Thinking fast, the hero elbowed his opponent in the chest, loosening the villain's grip enough to deliver a powerful kick to his chest. The bone-faced villain coughed, staggering backwards in pain. Shaking off the pain, Atomic Skull decided to show his nemesis exactly how he got his name. Taking a deep breath, the villain sent a focused blast of green energy at Nightwing, attempting to take him out.

Nightwing moved aside, allowing the hero standing behind him to finish off the enraged villain. Captain Atom absorbed the blast of energy, retaliating with a blast of his own energy. The attack struck Atomic Skull in the chest stunning him for a few moments. Seizing his chance, Captain Atom darted forward, delivering powerful blows to the villain. One of the punches sent him through a nearby wall and into the hallway. Unable to stop, the two heroes returned to the battle.

Raven glided through the darkness like a malevolent shadow, blasting stunning spells at nearby villains as she hid herself from view. Control Freak, Cheetah, and Blockbuster fell prey to her silent assault, falling onto the ground like feathers in the wind as her spells hit the mark. What she didn't know was that a certain pest from her past had been watching her movements. Hit by a beam of focused energy, the young sorceress had no choice but to reveal her position. The light cut through the shadows, forcing her out of hiding.

Dr. Light bore down on her, his eyes filled with hatred. "It's been awhile." He stated, smiling down at her with anticipation. Charging up his new suit's weapons, the villain sent a powerful blast of electricity at her.

Spinning into the air, the young sorceress effortlessly shielded herself from the blast with one of her barriers, looking confident. She had fought this guy enough times to know that he wasn't exactly the most powerful super villain. Fueled her magic with her rage, she blasted her nemesis with a beam of chaos magic, but a large wall of light surrounded his body, refusing to allow the magic blast to touch him.

"You're not getting me again." He scoffed, preparing to launch another attack.

"She won't, but I will." A voice sounded from behind the pesky villain. An electric current formed around his body, sucking away all of the harnessed energy that he had used to power his suit. After a few moments, the mystery hero directed an even more powerful electrical current through his body. Dr. Light screamed in agony as the shock coursed through his body, severely electrocuting the villain. After a few moments, he collapsed onto the floor, the shock of being blasted still etched onto his face.

Looking up at the transporter, Raven caught sight of what they had all been hoping to see. The transporter was beaming groups of reinforcements aboard the Watchtower, and the kid who just helped her must have been a reserve leaguer. He wore a blue jacket and a black shirt underneath his coat, emblazoned with a logo resembling a lightning bolt. The teenager was obviously of African descent, and had wild black hair sticking up in all directions.

"Thanks… but I could have handled that idiot by myself." She replied, casting the new arrival an irritated look. "By the way who are you?"

The teenage superhero laughed at her. "The name's Static. I'll put a shock to your system." He replied, giving her a thumbs up.

Raven frowned at him, looking slightly annoyed. "Think up a new catch phrase." She replied, forcing his head down to avoid the constant stream of attacks that were flying around the room. "Keep your eyes open, kid." She warned before rejoining the battle.

Looking around, the young sorceress caught sight of a few more heroes that had arrived on the transporter. Flash appeared to have made it back from his mission and had brought with him a variety of new faces. In addition to that Static kid, the Crimson Avenger, Orion of New Genesis, Batgirl, the new Robin, Metamorpho, Creeper, and a teenager with a fancy robotic backpack had joined the fray as well.

The new heroes immediately helped repel the invading villains. Orion flew around on his jetpack, exchanging blows with the Master of Games as the two of them fought. Static flew into the air on his flying disk, draining Overload's energy like a battery as he maneuvered around the giant villain's shoulders. Batgirl and Robin found themselves dodging attacks as they squared off against Cheshire and Captain Boomerang.

Metamorpho ran at Mad Hatter and Clock King, seizing their heads, and smashing them together. The two villains fell unconscious, sliding onto the floor like limp dolls.

Creeper faced off against the Ventriloquist and Scarface, tearing the small dummy from Arnold Wesker's struggling grip. The timid ventriloquist squealed in fright, attempting to take the puppet back. The yellow-skinned hero held out one hand in a mocking gesture, holding back the poor man effortlessly. After a few moments, the Creeper grew bored with the fight, effortlessly binding the ventriloquist in ropes. Laughing maniacally, the insane hero tossed the dummy into a garbage shoot, leaping off to continue the battle.

Not everyone was doing so well in this battle. Trident tuned his attention to the distracted Aqualad who was fighting three villains at once. In the midst of the ongoing confusion, the water-themed villain blasted his fellow Atlantian with a stream of energy from his trident, rendering the young hero unconscious.

Starfire was also having some major trouble. While her opponent was not very smart, he was still quite powerful. The Superman clone, Bizarro, possessed all of the abilities of the man of steel, and was extremely dangerous to anyone around him when enraged. The Tamaranean Princess had made the naive mistake of asking him whether he was smart, and was currently reaping the penalty for her innocent question.

Bizarro seized her by the hair, smashing her head into the floor over and over again. Despite his simple-mindedness, the Kryptonian clone was more than a match for her in terms of strength and power. Lifting her up by the throat, he tossed her into the air like a feather. Focusing through the intense pain, Starfire gained control on her powers enough to achieve flight. Turning over in midair, the Tamaranean fled her opponent. While she was never a coward, this guy was just too powerful when enraged.

"You no leave yet. Bizarro not finished." He shouted with childlike annoyance, flying after her like a speeding rocket. The villain made an attempt to seize her by the leg, but found his path blocked by a familiar face.

The Man of Steel had finally arrived on the scene. It had taken him a lot of effort, but a little help from one of Batman's inventions had allowed him to defeat the robot army, and escape the area where Slade had jammed the transporter's signal. "Hold this for me." He replied, landing a powerful punch on Bizarro.

The failed clone flew twenty feet into the air, landing in a heap on the floor. Recovering quickly, Bizarro shot forward, flailing his arms in a frenzied rage.

Nightwing breathed a sigh of relief as he tended to Starfire's wounds. He had taken a few seconds to help her, despite the fact that he had sustained multiple injuries from the battle. One of arms had been grazed by Bizarro's heat vision, and Scarecrow had beaten him a few times with a metal pipe, and Poison Ivy had managed to get him with a powerful toxin from one of her plants.

"On my planet, letting another see weakness is considered… not normal." She replied, giving him a smile.

Dick Grayson smiled down at her. "Don't worry, we all have our weaknesses. Even Superman has one." He replied, standing protectively in front of her. The moment of peace did not last long as the battle raged on. Livewire stepped in front of Nightwing, a sadistic smile on her face.

"Pathetic, you two love birds need a little charge." The electrical villain shouted, zapping the couple with a blast of electricity.

Nightwing cried out in pain, falling to his knees. Even he had just about reached his limit in this fight. After a few moments, the arrogant villain stopped her assault.

"I though you were good. Guess I was wrong." Livewire replied nonchalantly, giving a casual shrug. "But than again, all good things come to an end."

Starfire's squeals of pain pierced through his ears like a siren, cutting through his own pain like a heated knife. Growling in rage, Nightwing tore open a pouch on his utility belt, hitting the electric villain with a strange powder. The substance formed a coating around her body, making her unable to use her electricity-based powers.

As if a fire had suddenly sprung up inside of his chest, the former boy wonder attacked her with all of his might, punching her upside the head. Livewire flew ten feet into the air, landing in a large puddle of water left behind by Aqualad's attack. Her powers were short-circuited, releasing a surge of electricity as she screamed in pain, falling unconscious.

Having reached his limits, Nightwing dragged himself over to Starfire to shield her from oncoming attacks. While he was not good at expressing himself a lot of the time, the former boy wonder was deeply worried about her. He had never seen Starfire in such terrible shape. During the battle, she had taken multiple hits from Bizarro's heat vision, and he himself had received a bad enough injury when he had just been grazed by the attack.

Thinking back, his drive to attack Slade had been powerful, but now he wanted to protect his friends. He just hoped that Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven were doing all right.

While a handful of heroes had arrived to reinforce the Watchtower, another ship had also arrived. The ship was filled with Slade's henchmen. Each of them dressed in a similar fashion to their master, but instead of gadgets and blades, they carried around laser pistols, which could do anything from stunning an opponent, to killing.

Although they had sustained some serious injuries, Beast Boy and Raven were still in the battle. The green channeling had transformed himself into a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and was not charging through the main hanger, sending enemies running for cover. Marching forward, the green dinosaur found himself unable to move any farther.

Captain Cold had frozen his legs from behind, causing him to lose his balance. Looking up, Beast Boy was knocked out by a powerful blow to the chest delivered by the evil robot, Atlas. The icy villain sprinted down the hallway as he went to join the others.

"No human can defeat Atlas!" the robot replied, scooping up Beast Boy's unconscious form.

"Here's one." A voice shouted from behind.

Crunching his fists together, the robot turned to meet his new challenger. "Who dare's speak to Atlas in such a manner."

STRIPE stood across the hallway from him, readying his weapons. "That would be me." He replied.

"A human wears metal skin and believes himself strong." Atlas shouted, laughing at his new opponents. "Very well then human… Atlas accepts your challenge, but first you will see what I do with my losing opponents." The robot held up Beast Boy's unconscious form, placing the boy's head between his gigantic fingers, preparing to crush the shape shifter like a bug. As he brought his hands together, he saw nothing.

"Sorry, did I do that." Stargirl replied sarcastically, having rescued Beast Boy with a stream of energy from her staff.

Raven slipped through a nearby vortex, taking Beast Boy from Stargirl's grip. "I'll tend to him." She replied. Her fellow heroes nodded understandingly, as they turned to face the robot. Raven silently thanked them for helping her as she carried her friend to safety.

Atlas roared in anger, charging at the two remaining heroes, but found himself intercepted by the arrival of more heroes. Green Arrow and Speedy stepped into the hallway, firing a pair of arrows at the robot. The two arrows formed an energy link between them as they flew through the air, wrapping the stream of energy around the robotic villain like a rope. The reaction caused an explosion, sending the enemy flying backwards into a wall. Seizing the chance, STRIPE fired off a round of missiles from his robotic suit, blasting off Atlas' head.

"No one defeats Atlas!" the head shouted rolling across the hallway floor. "You shall pay for this humiliation. Atlas shall…"

Whatever the robotic villain was about to say was never heard. A blast of electricity fried his circuits rendering him unconscious. Bumblebee lowered her weapons, booting the villain's head across the room. "Well… someone had to shut him up." She replied with a shrug.

Speedy gave his old friend a thumbs up as the small group of heroes hunted the remaining villains. "Good job guys. Let's finish em off." He replied confidently to the rest of his group.

"Aren't you confident." Bumblebee commented.

"Lighten up." The red-clad archer replied, shrugging of her comment as they followed after the group.

"You did a good job Speedy, don't get cocky yet. You seem to forget, this battle's far from over." Green Arrow cut in, giving his former sidekick a disapproving look. After a few moments, the green-clad archer dashed ahead to inspect the hallways.

"And this is one of the reasons why I quit being his sidekick." Speedy said to Bumblebee, looking irritated.

The female superhero nodded, not wanting to get involved in her friend's personal grudge match. It seemed that a lot of the former Teen Titans were sidekicks who had issues with the heroes that they had previously served under.

**MEANWHILE **

Slade Wilson continued his infiltration of the Watchtower's facilities, having long slipped through the defenses. While most of the villains had served as a distraction, he had brought with him some of the more skilled and powerful super villains to help him in case the Justice League was able to locate them.

They was getting closer to what he desired by the second, as the masked villain had developed the ability to sense the Tri-gems. While he could not explain this ability, it was probably due to his exposure to the first two crystals, or his brief term of service under Trigon himself, year ago. Either way, he could sense the presence of the last crystal, and as he moved closer to its location, the constant thirst for power increased. It was as if the artifact was calling to him like a limitless supply of treasure.

Turning the corner, Slade knew that he was close to the sealed room where the League kept dangerous and powerful artifacts. The door stood at the end of the hallway, as if it were waiting for him. Sensing a nearby presence, the masked villain leapt backwards to avoid injury as a large fist came down on the spot where he had been standing just seconds ago.

Superman hovered in front of the hall leading to the room, slamming his fist into a button on the wall. The switch caused a series of iron doors to drop down in the hallway, adding even more defensive precautions to the room.

"You must be Deathstroke…" Superman said, staring at the villain standing a few yards away.

Slade glared at the Man of Steel from a few moments, his eye narrowing in dislike. Although it was hard to tell for a normal person, the Kryptonian could see his glare change into an evil grin behind the mask.

"Ah, Superman… At last we meet…" Deathstroke replied, eying the famous hero.

Superman shook his head, looking slightly irritated. "Enough with the pleasantries Slade, you're not taking the crystal. I'm here to make sure of that."

The masked villain laughed heartily for a few moments, his tone deep and cruel. Breaking out of his laughter, he returned his opponent's glare. "Just as overconfident as I expected. Perhaps you underestimate me."

"We can do this the easy way… or the hard way."

Slade took a few steps backwards, attempting to add a little distance between himself and the Kryptonian. While he wasn't afraid, he knew that his new opponent was probably one of the most powerful heroes on Earth. "I'm afraid I choose the latter." He replied, fingering the handle of his katana.

Darting forward, the Man of Steel charged at Slade with incredible speed. Pulling his fist back to deliver a powerful punch. The masked villain had anticipated a blunt attack like this, flipping into the air to avoid Superman's attack. Superman pulled out of his charge, landing on his feet to try a different approach. Focusing his eyes, he used his heat vision, attempting to stun the agile villain.

The masked villain dodged the blasts effortlessly, looking bored. "I was expecting you to put your full effort into fighting me. If you do not, this could take a while."

"I don't plan on killing anyone." Superman replied, creating a gust of wind.

"What's the matter boy scout? You can't do what needs to be done, and that makes you weak." Slade replied, bracing himself against the wind.

The Kryptonian glared at him. "No… it's what separates a true hero from a self-righteous murderer. We always avoid killing if we can."

The masked crime lord gave a hollow laugh, sounding slightly amused. "How sad… unfortunately for you, I have no such handicap."

"Your game end here!" Superman shouted, flying at his opponent.

Deathstroke stepped aside, revealing a rather ecstatic Metallo. The android laughed as he opened his chest, exposing a small chunk of Kryptonite.

"Superman… I was hoping that I would get a chance to kill you." Metallo replied, focusing the Kryptonite radiation into a beam of energy. The green light struck the hero, draining his powers by the second.

"M…Metallo…" the Kryptonian choked out as he stared up into the villain's murderous gaze.

Slade smiled sadistically behind his mask as he watched Superman fall to his knees, doubled over in pain. The death of the Man of Steel would make him famous if all turned out well. Walking over to the weakened hero, Deathstroke decided to finish the job. Seizing him by the throat, the masked villain lifted him into a standing position. "The rest of you can come out." He declared.

Clayface, Warp, Giganta, Mirror Master, Toyman, and Killer Frost emerged from the shadows, each of them watching in amusement as the Kryptonite drained Superman's powers.

"So… look at the Man of Steel of Steel now…" Slade replied, watching the hero struggle in his grip. "Just imagine… a glowing rock is all it takes. It makes you weak, drains your very body of every last ounce of energy. Without your powers, you're nothing… no… less than nothing."

Superman groaned in pain, aiming a kick at his captor. The masked villain recoiled for a second, looking furious as he tightened his grip around the hero's throat.

Deathstroke laughed again, tossing Superman's limp form onto the cold metal floor. "Metallo, increase the amount of radiation."

"With pleasure." The android replied, grinning manically as he focused an even greater amount of power from his Kryptonite battery. Taking a few steps forward, he kicked the fallen hero in the face as he lay struggling on the floor. "Can I kill him?"

The masked villain shook his head, holding out a hand in front of the android. "I'm afraid not… that honor will go to me."

NOTE TO READERS: Another chapter that I had to divide in two. I'd say that it would be around 15,000 word long in its full format which was probably the orignal way I would have done it. Please continue reiviewing my story, I have been working really hard on it as you can probably tell.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28: Power of the Tri-gems**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters or logos.

Slade reached into his sword holder, sliding his katana out. Fingering the handle of his weapon, he placed the end of blade next to Superman's head. "Shame… you've saved Metropolis countless times, stopped Brainiac from destroying the Earth, fought bravely during the Thanagarian invasion, defeated Darksied, among many other great deeds, and now… you die by the hands of a mortal man. Ironic… isn't it. I could have my friends here torture you until you die, but I'm feeling generous today. I bear no grudge against you, so I promise you a quick death…" he replied, thrusting his blade down.

Pressing down on the hilt of the katana, the masked villain realized that something was stopping him from impaling the hero. A black aura had formed around Superman's body, protecting him from any further injury. In one fluid movement, the veil of dark energy lifted his body into the air, pulling him away from the villains as if he were being supported by a pair of invisible hands.

Superman's limp form landed on the floor a few yards away. Gliding out of the darkness like a shadow, Raven placed herself in front of the fallen hero's body. "I don't think so." She said, glaring at the group of villains. "You are done here."

While the other villains appeared surprised by her sudden appearance, Deathstroke was as calm as ever. "You are as aloof as ever, aren't you my dear." Slade replied with a sadistic grin. "But perhaps you should hold your tongue. You are impossibly outnumbered, and from your ragged appearance, I am willing to say that you were injured during the battle."

"As perceptive as ever, aren't you?" Raven replied, placing a hand over the wound on her face.

The masked villain nodded, looked amused by the situation. "Perhaps we can come to an agreement… Stand down and perhaps we can avoid any unnecessary conflict."

The young sorceress took a few steps backwards, her gaze fixed on her old enemy. "Actually, I was about to say the same thing."

As if on cue, several heroes appeared by her side. The Martian phased through the floor in front of her, signaling the others to follow. Cyborg stepped into the hallway, his energy cannon pointed at the squad of villains standing a few yards away. Doctor Fate materialized above their heads, appearing in a flash of golden light as he landed beside Raven and in a blur of red, the Flash had joined the group.

"Well, this could be interesting." Slade commented, gesturing forward. "Kill them." He ordered, his voice devoid of worry or concern.

Toyman cackled in a deranged manner, taking out a paddleball without a string or ball. Gripping the handle of the toy, he began to swing his wrist back and forth.

Raven wasn't sure whether to laugh or ask what he was up to, but something told her that the paddle was no ordinary toy. Distracted by her thoughts, she was too late to dodge the ball of energy that had just issued from Toyman's paddle.

The Flash darted forward, seizing Raven by his arms, and carrying her to safety. "Careful now. Underestimating those toys he uses is probably more dangerous than running headfirst into a train." He warned, placing her on the ground.

She nodded, in understanding, remembering how Joker's bag of marbles had released poisonous gas. Despite the battle that was going on, she couldn't help but remember the consecutive warnings given to her by Batman and Nightwing. _Expect the unexpected_. Hovering into the air, she concentrated her energy on Toyman's weapon, shattering it like glass with a spell. Thinking fast, she retaliated quickly by raining down magic blasts on her opponent.

The crazy toy maker squealed like a frightened child, leaping out of the way of her spells. Crouching behind a crate in the hallway, Toyman took out what appeared to be a Nerf blaster. Loading the plastic weapon, he began firing foam darts at her.

Acting quickly, the Raven conjured a wall of chaos magic around her body to protect herself from the childish attack. The foam projectiles exploded on contact, shattering her barrier and sending her backwards into a wall. Recovering quickly, she rolled sideways to avoid the oncoming darts, barely escaping the blast. Levitating into the air, she began firing off spells at her opponent, attempting to catch him off guard. While Toyman was an odd opponent, he was obviously skilled in using his inventions. The deranged toy maker retaliated quickly, firing darts at her with his weapon. The attacks met in midair, creating small explosions.

The Flash took on Mirror Master, attempting to locate the real villain amongst a bunch of illusions that he had created. Thinking quickly, the red speedster countered his opponent's strategy by creating a whirlwind with his arms. The gust pushed the real villain back, revealing his true location. Seizing his opportunity, the Flash dashed forward to attack Mirror Master, but his punch only met the air. The villain had slipped through one of the mirrors that he had dropped on the ground, using it as an escape route.

Meanwhile, Cyborg was having troubles of his own. The half robot hero went head-to-head with Metallo. He knew from his previous attempt that his energy cannon wasn't very effective against this new nemesis, so he was forced to resort to using physical attacks. The two robots exchanged blows, but while Cyborg could feel the pain of each hit, his opponent remained relatively unharmed from the attacks. Cyborg noticed this right away, realizing that he was no match for Metallo's physical strength. The robotic villain was not only stronger than him, but his body was constructed out of what could be the world's strongest alloy.

Cyborg decided to go for another method of fighting. Sidestepping his opponent's punches, the hero dove under his guard, ramming Metallo with his shoulder. The villain staggered backwards, allowing Cyborg to launch another attack. Readying his weapon with amazing speed, he fired another blast of energy from the cannon. The impact sent the villain flying headfirst into a wall, but his android body still remained unscathed.

'Weakling…" Metallo commented, dashing forward to attack again.

The half metallic hero dodged sideways, seizing his enemy by the wrists. Pulling his arms behind his back, Cyborg attempted to restrain the villain. "Booyah…" he replied, pinning the android to the ground.

Metallo broke free of Cyborg's hold, sending him flying into the air. Running forward, the android seized him by the throat, pinning him against the wall like a fly. "You can't possibly win. You have mechanical muscles like me, but you are not nearly as strong."

"Unlike you, I'm still human… and humans can work harder and become stronger." The hero replied, focusing on his human and robotic muscles at the same time. Reaching up, Cyborg forced Metallo's wrists apart, freeing himself from the android's grip. Ramming his opponent, he began to pummel the villain with all of his might, pushing his opponent into the opposite wall.

The metal villain fell backwards, his body smashing through the nearby wall. Forcing his way through the rubble, the android struggled to his feet. Dusting off his clothes, the villain looked slightly amused that his opponent had been able to get this far. "Not bad… This is more interesting than I thought it would be."

Charging forward again, Metallo tackled his opponent to the floor. Pinning him down with one arm, the android grabbed Cyborg's head, smashing it repeatedly into the metal floor.

Meanwhile, the Martian took on Killer Frost, dodging her blasts as she attempted to freeze him solid. Phasing into the floor, the alien reappeared behind her. Placing his hand on her head, J'onn J'onzz focused on her mind, telepathically assaulting her subconscious with his mental powers. After a few moments, the frosty villain collapsed sideways onto the floor.

Flying back towards the battle, he rushed to help the Flash, who was having some trouble against Clayface. While the hulking shape shifter was not fast enough to touch him, the hero's physical attacks were no match for his opponent's gelatinous form.

Killer Frost rose from her spot on the ground, cursing loudly as she attempted to stop the Martian. Focusing her energy, she sent a wave of ice at her opponents, but the heroes darted out of the way of her attack, forcing Clayface to take the full blast. The shape shifter's body became enveloped in ice, rendering him unable to use his powers. His frozen body fell backwards onto the floor, shattering into pieces like a broken vase.

Flash turned his attention to Killer Frost, breaking into an accelerated run as he ran at her. The ice elemental saw his approach, creating a protective wall of ice around herself. Her defense didn't seem to concern him, as he began vibrating his molecules through her barricade of ice.

"Dammit!" she shouted, retreating backwards and sending a wave of frost at her opponent.

The red speedster dodged her blast with ease, running circles around her with little effort. Seizing his chance, the Flash went one the offensive, creating a whirlwind around the frosty villain by running at unbelievable speeds. After a few seconds of the constant assault, the hero stopped his attack. Killer Frost staggered around for a few seconds, swaying drunkenly on the spot like a straw in the wind. She opened her mouth in an attempt to swear, but found herself unable to find the words. Moaning in defeat, she fell face first onto the ground with a dull thud.

"Well, looks like she's out cold." Flash replied, looking around for a response to his joke.

While the other heroes were too busy fighting, they had all heard it. Raven laughed inwardly at the irony, thinking that Beast Boy would've said something like that if he had been here. The Martian sighed in exasperation, apparently not in the mood for Flash's bad jokes. He had recently assaulted Giganta's mind with his powers, promptly defeating her, and was now locked in combat with Slade.

The masked villain ducked and dodged around the Martian's attacks, realizing that he had found a powerful opponent. Flipping backwards, the masked villain drew his katana, bringing the weapon down upon his opponent. While the slash inflicted some injury, the scratch healed in a matter of moments. The alien's abilities were incredible, and this fight had just begun. Fortunately for him, he was prepared for this occasion.

A hand burst out of one of the mirrors on the floor, seizing the Martian by the ankle. Startled by this sudden move, the alien glanced towards the floor in surprise, but this would be a very costly mistake. Seeing the opening, Slade kicked the Martian with full force, sending him into the depths of the mirror world.

"Well done Mirror Master." Deathstroke replied as the villain emerged from another mirror. "How long will that hold him?"

The mirror-themed villain shook his head. "I don't really know. According to Captain Boomerang, that alien has a lot of strange powers. Maybe we should shatter all of the mirrors and save the trouble."

Meanwhile, Raven was finishing her battle with Toyman. Having broken many of his best weapons, the demented toy maker was beginning to run out of ideas. Rummaging through his pocket, her took out a simple yo-yo.

"Looks like you're out of gadgets." Raven commented, walking closer to her opponent.

Toyman laughed like a maniac, twirling the string around his finger. "One more game." He replied, spinning the tiny toy like a weapon. "Around the world…"

The young sorceress dodged the strike, having learned by now not to underestimate her opponent. The yo-yo struck the wall behind her, making a loud cracking noise as it hit. Glancing at the wall, she couldn't help but gasp in surprise at what she saw. There was a giant hole in the wall where she had been standing moments before.

Focusing her powers on his last weapon, she broke the yo-yo, rendering it useless. The toy maker screamed in fight, fleeing like a scared child. Grinning is satisfaction, Raven slipped through one of her dark portals, reappearing in front of the villain. Focusing her magic, she blasted him with a paralysis spell, rendering him unable to move.

Cyborg wasn't as lucky as his fellow heroes. The android was surprisingly strong for his size, probably even stronger than Atlas who up until now was the strongest robot that he had ever fought. He was badly injured at this point, having taken quite a beating from Metallo. Now he lay battered on the ground, his breathing low and heavy. Despite his injuries, Cyborg was no quitter, and he wasn't planning on giving up as long as he could continue the fight.

Metallo bore down upon his opponent, smiling victoriously. Despite having the advantage at the moment, he hadn't been able to get through this fight without sustaining a few injuries of his own. His body was covered in burn marks, and he was missing one of his limbs, but he was still standing. While he hated to admit it, the kid had guts to continue fighting in his condition.

"Not looking so good, are you." Metallo taunted, kicking his fallen opponent in the head with an unnecessary amount of force.

The half robot hero groaned in pain, but continued to glare up at his opponent. "No, I call it playing possum." Cyborg bellowed, seizing his enemy by the ankle. Swinging his arm around, he turned himself over, pushing Metallo onto the floor. Tackling his opponent like a football player, Cyborg sent him flying several feet into the air.

The android tumbled across the floor, creating a loud clanging noise as he fell. Scowling in annoyance, the robotic villain stood up again, looking even more sinister than before. "I'll give you credit, you have guts to continue this fight, but no matter how many times you attack me, it will not change the fact that I feel no pain. Unlike you, I am 100 robot, and have no organic components left in my system."

Cyborg stared at his opponent, an understanding flashing across his face for a few seconds. Thinking back to what he had read in the villain profiles, this guy had once been human. An evil man, but a man nevertheless. In a way, he had earned the right to be pitied and despised. Feeling a sharp pain in his chest, the metal hero fell to his knees, doubled over in pain. There was no denying that his opponent was stronger than him… but hadn't Atlas been the same. He just couldn't give up yet.

Metallo nailed him in the chest, sending him onto his back. The last kick had shattered one of his robotic arm joints, restricting his movements. "Who's going to save you now?"

"That would be me…" a voice replied.

Superman shot his heat vision at Metallo, having recovered from the Kryptonite exposure. The attack melted through the android's remaining arm, rendering him armless. Reacting quickly Superman shot forward like a bullet, pummeling the robotic villain with all of his might. He was determined to finish this before the android had a chance to expose him to the Kryptonite battery.

As if on cue, the robotic villain opened his chest, revealing the chunk of Kryptonite nestled in his circuits. The beam of radiation struck Superman's body, draining his powers once more. "Look's like I get to kill you after all… isn't that right Superman?"

"Not today freak!" Cyborg shouted mustering what strength he had left. Charging his energy cannon, he fired at Metallo's chest, blasting the piece of Kryptonite across the floor.

Metallo shouted in anger. "BLAST! Without my Kryptonite Battery, I can't move."

"Booyah." Cyborg muttered in a weak voice. The scene began to grow dark as the battle fatigue began to take its toll. After a few moments, the robotic hero passed out.

Having had minimal exposure to the Kryptonite, Superman recovered quickly. Lifting Cyborg's unconscious form off of the floor, he approached the Flash. "Take him to the infirmary."

"You got it Sups…" the Flash replied, taking Cyborg and carrying him away.

"Success!" Slade shouted as Warp's device deactivated the security door. The two villains entered the room, closing the door behind them.

Entering the new room, Slade could see why the Justice League kept it locked. All of the items in the room were incredibly dangerous. A broken piece of Brainiac floated in a nearby case, supposedly neutralized, but too risky to leave lying around. Another wall in the room held a variety of weapons, all of alien origin. A few sheets of unrefined amp metal were also contained in a thick case, surrounded by a barrier. While amp metal was used by Thanagarians to forge powerful weapons, it was unstable and extremely dangerous if not handled properly. The disassembled pieces of the Watchtower's old space weapon took up a large portion of the gigantic room, which was probably the original reason for having built such a facility in the space station.

Warp reached out, but was stopped by his employer. Deathstroke seized the villain by his wrist, a look of impatience on his face. "Idiot… we didn't come here to steal weapons. You will hemp me complete the mission first."

The futuristic villain scowled, but did not raise an argument. "Very well…" he replied, pulling his hand back in a disappointed manner. The expression on his face was similar to that of a child who had not been able to get their way.

Turning his back to his accomplice, the masked villain continued to search the contents of the room.

Superman shot forward, pounding on the door with all of his strength, but even he was not able to break through the electric magnetic barrier, which now surrounded the door. "They must have reactivated the defenses." He said.

Raven nodded, attempting to think of an idea. "Can I warp into the room?"

"I doubt it… Doctor Fate placed a spell on the room to prevent anyone from stealing the dangerous contents by means of magic.

The young sorceress sunk back into her thoughts, racking her brain for ideas. "Do you know the pass code?"

"There is no pass code… Batman has the card key right now, and he's currently out on the field."

As he finished his sentence, the Dark Knight sidled into the hallway like a shadow, barely making a noise as he approached them. "Need help?" he asked casually, holding the card key between his fingers like a playing card.

Superman exchanged confused looks with Raven before speaking. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but how did you get back here? J'onn told me that Deathstroke jammed the transporters signal."

Batman nodded, his expression unreadable. "Did you think that I couldn't figure out how to solve the problem? I located the jamming devices that Deathstroke planted, and shut them down. Once we eliminated all of his machines, I was able to take some heroes from the field and return to the Watchtower."

"Glad you made it. Flash came back with some reserve leaguers in an attempt to even the odds, but we're still outnumbered." Superman replied. He had to admit, Batman was the smart member of the group, and probably the most resourceful.

"Forget about that now… we have work to do."

Sliding the card into the slot, the door slid open. Proceeding with caution, the trio of heroes entered to room.

"There it is!" Slade shouted to Warp, pointing towards a case across the room. Leaping forward, the masked villain smashed the case, sending the crystal from its pedestal. Reaching out his hand to pick the item out of the debris, he failed to notice the arrival of his enemies.

"Deathstroke… we have company!" Warp shouted, diving out of the way as Superman's heat vision hit the space that he was standing in moments earlier.

"WHAT!" Slade replied, turning to the door.

Batman rammed Deathstroke with his shoulder, sending him flying into the air. The attack did little good, as Slade was an extremely agile fighter. Spinning around in midair, the masked villain landed on his feet.

"Now I see how your former sidekick became such a formidable fighter." Slade replied, drawing his katana.

"Thanks…" the Dark Knight replied, taking a pair of baterangs from his utility belt. Leaping into the air, Batman tossed his projectiles at Slade with impressive accuracy. The masked villain parried hem with his katana, charging at his opponent with the intent to kill. The hero dodged sideways to avoid the attack, but Deathstroke had foreseen his maneuver. Making a quick turn in mid-strike, the villain slashed with incredible precision.

Batman dodged backwards, barely avoiding the deadly slice. His opponent's speed and agility was too fast for any ordinary man to handle. Had it not been for his own prodigious skill, the Caped Crusader would have been dead by now. While the slash had not hit any vital organs, the sword had left a scratch on his shoulder. Batman placed his hand on his wound, but said nothing else. He had been through much worse than this, and it wouldn't be worth giving his opponent the pleasure of seeing him express pain.

Slade smiled in amusement as he watched his opponent. "Normally I would stand and fight fairly, but right now I have something to accomplish." He said, placing his katana back into its holder. Drawing out a pair of laser pistols from his utility belt, the masked villain began to fire the weapons with machine-like precision. The Dark Knight ducked and weaved around the blasts, watching his opponent's movements carefully so that he could maneuver properly. The laser blasts were deadly, and one hit could mean death. He had never before faced an ordinary human with such terrifying skill, and strategy that rivaled or surpassed his own.

Flipping backwards, Batman took cover behind one of the many glass cases. Drawing a pair of Baterangs, he threw them at his opponent in an attempt to disarm the powerful assassin.

Slade had anticipated this strategy, and retaliated quickly, shooting the two Baterangs out of the air before they could even come close to him. Fighting Batman's former sidekick during the old days in Jump City had taught him what to expect. The hero and his former accomplice had a very similar fighting style, except that Batman seemed to be a little more refined. Resuming his stance, the masked villain continued to fire away at his opponent.

Batman dove out of the way again, landing behind another case. This was becoming a pain, and it would be impossible to win if he couldn't get any of his own attacks through his opponent's offense. Thinking quickly, he remembered something of interest that may yet help him. He had a weapon in his belt that just might do the trick. Pulling out another pair of Baterangs, the hero waited for the right moment to use it, watching Slade's movements carefully. Plotting the correct movement, he tossed the two weapons into the air.

The masked villain shot his laser pistol at the Baterangs, but seconds before his attacks hit, the Baterangs released another set of Baterangs. Firing again, he attempted to neutralize the next pair, but as he shot at them, another pair of projectiles extended outward. Dropping his pistols, Slade drew his katana, parrying the oncoming projectiles. Weapons concealed within weapons… definitely something new that he should remember for future reference.

Using what moments he had, Batman leapt from his hiding spot, catching the masked villain off guard. Slipping underneath his opponent's guard, the hero pummeled the villain with all of his might, sending Deathstroke flying across the room. As he flew through the air, the masked villain tossed a couple of metal devices at his opponent, who merely dodged them.

Landing on his feet, Slade was actually impressed. Batman and his team were different sorts, relying on skill rather than superpowers or enhanced abilities. "Not bad… You live up to your reputation." He commented, taking a fighting stance as he did so. "But you will find that I have some tricks of my own."

Pressing a button on his utility belt, Slade activated the devices that had landed behind Batman. The boxes exploded, forcing the hero to dive out of that way to avoid injury. Recovering quickly, the Caped Crusader took a fighting stance as well.

Superman and Raven took on the second villain, attempting to ground him as he flew around the room with his rocket boosters. "You cannot defeat me." Warp replied, firing missiles at his two opponents. The projectiles exploded on contact, creating clouds of smoke, which impaired his vision. As the wall of smoke cleared, the futuristic villain gasped in surprise. One of his opponents was unharmed, and the other was nowhere to be seen.

Raven floated in the air a few yards away, smiling triumphantly. Her barrier of chaos magic had shielded her from the explosion. "Nice one…" she commented giving her opponent an amused smile. "Look behind you."

"I will not fall for that old trick." Warp retaliated, crossing his arms in a cocky manner. The futuristic villain whipped around in surprise as he felt a hand tapping on his shoulder.

"Hold this…" the Man of Steel replied, pulling his arm back and nailing the villain in the stomach. The crushing blow sent him tumbling backwards, and from the look of him, the boosters on his armor were the only reason that he was still floating.

Warp groaned in agony, as he doubled over in pain. Pushing his head up, the villain straightened the top piece of his golden armor. "My armor is no ordinary piece of technology. It can also protect me form your attacks. The armor generated a barrier around my body before you were able to strike, thereby reducing the seriousness of the injury."

Thinking carefully about this piece of information, Raven decided to use a similar strategy that Slade had worked with Mirror Master to devise. Sneaking through the shadows, she appeared behind the futuristic villain, launching an attack. Focusing her magic energy, she blasted him in the back with a powerful energy spell. The attack hit its mark, rendering him unconscious.

Superman looked surprised for a few seconds, but his expression changed to one of amusement and respect. "Good job." He replied, giving her a nod of approval.

Raven nodded, feeling proud that she had finally gained respect from the stubborn Kryptonian, but the moment did not last long. Batman was still having troubles of his own.

"Am I late?" a voice came form the shadows. Turning around, the pair of heroes caught sight of the Martian rising through the floor. "I was able to escape the mirror prison." He replied upon seeing the expressions that they wore.

"Never mind that. We need to find that crystal and stop Deathstroke." Superman replied, earning a nod of approval from Raven. Rushing to Batman's aid, the three heroes attacked Deathstroke at the same time.

The masked villain laughed sadistically, leaping into the air to avoid Superman's heat vision. Flipping around in mid-air, he avoided the Martian who had just phased through the nearby wall. Raven darted forward to attack the distracted villain, blasting Slade with a paralysis spell. Catching sight of her attack, he dove aside to avoid the blast, tumbling into a pile of rubble on the ground. Batman, Martian Manhunter, Superman, and Raven stepped forward, baring down on the defeated villain.

"Game over Deathstroke… you're outnumbered and outmatched." Superman said, glaring at the masked villain.

"Hardly… Your abilities are impressive, but I have won." Slade replied, pulling his fist out of the rubble. The villain held up his hand in triumph, the Tri-gem grasped firmly between his fingers.

The young sorceress stood in shock. "NO!" she shouted, her eyes widening in fear.

Laughing coldly, the masked villain placed the crystal into his utility belt with the other two. The Martian and Superman shot forward to take the Tri-gem from him, but it was too late. The mark of Scath appeared on his head, glowing crimson red like the most deadly fires of Tartarus. Holding his arms forward in a defensive stance, Slade created a wall of magical fire between himself and the heroes.

Superman charged forward into the flames, but as his body entered the strange substance, the fire began to burn his flesh. Recoiling in pain, he was able to escape with minimal injury. He fell backwards onto the floor, his body covered in terrible burns.

"Interesting…" Batman commented, staring into the fire.

Raven summoned her own magic, sending a variety of spells at her opponent, but found that her own chaos magic could not touch him. It was as if he were immune to her powers. Using some of Doctor Fate's spells, she tried to attack again, but despite her best efforts, the spells could not pass through the aura of dark fire that Slade had created.

"Impressive…" Deathstroke replied, looking amused by her reaction. "You have improved since the old days in Jump City, but your magic is still no match for your father's power."

The young sorceress scowled in anger, sending another blast of light at her opponent. The blast vanished before it could touch him, dissipating in midair.

Slade laughed again, his voice low and dangerous. "You are persistent, but I doubt that you can defeat me now. I wield a fraction of your father's power, but you cannot win. I believe that you were able to use your connection with your father to boost your own strength and turn his powers against him… but you and I bare no such connection. I have borrowed a portion of Trigon's power that has long been separate from him."

Concentrating his power, Slade lashed out his arms with great force, sending a wave of the inferno at his opponents. Batman reached out, forcing Raven down as he pushed the Martian to the side. The three of them crouched onto the floor, avoiding the blast as it soared overhead.

"The end…" Slade replied, looking down at his four opponents, but as he blasted them with his dark fire, a strange light absorbed the attack.

Doctor Fate had appeared with excellent timing, holding up a strange metal instrument in his hand. The item was shaped like a raven sitting on a perch, the stick acting like the handle of a staff. The bird was carved out of gold and encrusted with jewels, and the small bird carving appeared to have four eyes, made out of rubies. Taking a few steps forward, the wizard chanted complicated incantations out loud, brandishing the strange totem at his opponent. As the magician drew closer he began to wave the artifact in a circular motion, causing the ruby eyes of the statue to glow with an unnatural light.

Slade was no fool. He could tell that whatever the strange artifact was, it was somehow canceling out the power of the crystals. He could feel the power of the Tri-gems slipping away from his body more and more by the second, as the wizard drew closer. Thinking quickly, he knew that he would have to distance himself from that accursed item if he was to escape. Leaping into the air, the masked villain took off down the halls with incredible speed. His abilities having been enhanced by the power pf the crystals.

"After him." The Martian shouted, taking flight as he spoke. Doctor Fate, Superman, Batman and Raven followed after him, attempting to catch up to the masked villain.

Increasing his speed, the masked villain entered the main hanger where many of the villains were still engaged in combat with Justice League. "Retreat… he said into his communicator, bursting into the docking bay.

"In here." Sinestro shouted, having commandeered one of the League's larger space ships. He stood next to the open door of one of the League's Javelin cruisers, their own ships having been destroyed upon entry. The former Green Lantern had followed Deathstroke's strategy carefully, working with Star Sapphire to transport the fallen villains to safety. Many of the injured villains were already on board the cruiser, and many more were heading towards the docking bay as they spoke.

The entry plan had worked perfectly, and Sinestro had enacted the escape plan perfectly as well. While he truly despised many of his collaborators, Slade knew that he might require more services in the future. As he watched the villains flee into the ship, Bizarro floated through the entrance to the main docking bay, carrying the unconscious Toyman and Metallo. However, they were not alone.

A group of heroes were pursuing them, led by the Martian. Superman, Green Lantern, Raven Batman, the Flash, Captain Atom, Static, Green Arrow, and Doctor Fate were also present, doing everything that they could to stop the villains.

"Not so fast." Superman shouted from the head of the group, causing the small squadron of superheroes to charge forward.

"Too late…" Slade replied, as the last of his group entered the ship. Turning around, the masked villain walked up the ramp, the hatch sealing shut behind him. Toyman stood in the captain chair, activating the ships defense mechanism. Pressing a button on the control board, laser cannons extended out of the ship's exterior, firing at the group of heroes.

The League members retreated from the assault as Green Lantern created a barrier with his power ring to shield his group from the blast. They were too late to stop the enemy from escaping. The villains had taken off into space and were currently heading back towards Earth.

"Tell Mr. Terrific to activate the tractor beam." Superman ordered.

The Martian shook his head. "We can't… While Cyborg was able to reactivate the system, it is not fully operational yet. Plastique did some serious damage, and it may take some time to fully repair it."

The Man of Steel punched the nearby wall, startling his fellow heroes.

Batman nodded, looking solemn. "Pull yourself together Kent, getting angry about this isn't going to solve the problem. Never mind them right now. Our first priority right now is to get all of our systems operational, and treat the wounded. We also need to round up the members of Slade's Secret Society before they escape."

Superman nodded, trying to keep himself from doing something irrational. "J'onn, see if we can call some more medics to the space station. Raven… help Green Lantern and Doctor Fate round up the wounded. Static… go down to the generator room and see if you can recharge the low power. I'll go with Batman, and Green Arrow to capture any villains that weren't able to escape. Captain Atom… guard the transporter. I'm betting that there are dozens of Deathstroke's henchmen hiding aboard the Watchtower right now."

Captain Atom sprung into a military salute, flying off towards the main hanger to take up his post by the transporter. The heroes nodded in response to his commands, taking off in different directions as they followed their respective orders. Most of them knew that Superman was not the easiest person to get along with when he was in a bad mood.

Raven followed after Green Lantern and Doctor Fate, entering the main room of the Watchtower. Taking in her surroundings, she realized how extensive the damage was. Concentrating on the wreckage, she used her powers to transport fallen heroes to the infirmary and remove harmful debris. She could tell just by glancing around the space station's main room that it was going to take a lot of work to get everything back to normal on the Watchtower.

NOTE TO READERS: Well, that concludes the battle. I hope that everyone who has ready my story enjoyed that scene, because I edited it many times to create more climactic moments while still making sense. (As much as a superhero story can make) **I know that many people are not inclined to review, but I have worked really hard, and not many people have had the courtesy to give me their opinion of the chapters, or their constructive criticism for my story.** On a lighter note, I am very grateful to those of you who have actually reviewed my story, and I hope that you will continue to do so in coming chapters. At the risk of sounding redundant, I have to say that receiving reviews from the readers really motivates me to write the story. It is good to know that people are enjoying your writing. Lastly, I apologize for the long notice at the end. That's not usually my style.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29: Regrouping**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters or logos.

FOREWORD: For any shippers out there, I decided to add a little Raven fluff, so I hope that you enjoy it. Romance is okay, but its not my specialty, nor is it the main focus of this story. I might put more in the sequel if you anyone thinks that I should.

It had been a long battle, but luckily for the Justice League, there had not been any casualties. Despite that, many of the heroes who had protected the Watchtower from Deathstroke's invasion forces had been badly injured, resulting in a much less active work force aboard the space station. Not even Superman himself had escaped without an injury, having been exposed to Metallo's Kryptonite battery and almost killed on the spot by the masked villain himself. While there was no death, the atmosphere aboard the Watchtower had taken a definite turn after the battle. The feeling of justice and duty that the space station had previously radiated had been replaced by the air of a grim funeral.

The feelings of despair felt by many of the heroes, was to be expected, as they had for all purposes lost the battle. Not only was Slade able to obtain the last crystal, but the attack by his Secret Society had weakened the Justice League considerably. Most of the members were injured during the fight, and some of them had been in critical condition, and were currently patients in the world's best hospitals. It was a grim and depressing scene aboard the Watchtower.

Raven had been assigned to work the infirmary today, and was doing all she could to speed up the recovery of the injured heroes. Her mentor was with her today, and the two of them were combining their powers to help the most seriously injured heroes. She had used her healing magic more today than she had ever done before, and the exhaustion was beginning to set in.

"You've learned well." Doctor Fate commented, looking up from his own patient. "I could not have done any better myself."

"Thanks…" she replied, wiping a few beads of sweat from her forehead. Turning her back to the wizard, she hid her exhaustion from him. Despite the simplicity of the spell, she was beginning to grow weary from using her magic too much. The battle that took place less than twenty-four hours ago, had taken a major toll on her body, but at least she made it out relatively unharmed.

Glancing at her clipboard, she breathed a sigh of relief. She only had one patient left to tend to before she could leave the infirmary for the day. It had generally been an uneventful morning for the young sorceress. Instead of busting villains and studying magic, she had spent the day cooped up in the infirmary, tending to the injured. It was tiring, but she didn't have any complaints about the job. It really was an important task, considering that some of them would remain hospitalized for days, even with magical help.

Reading the last name on the list, she felt herself smile inwardly. Her last client for the day was Beast Boy. As she began to think about it, the sound of Doctor Fate's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"I have done my part for that day." The wizard replied, inclining his head towards Raven. "I request your presence in my study when you are finished here."

Raven nodded as she turned towards the nearby hospital bed. Beast Boy lay unconscious under the sheets, one of his arms hanging uselessly off the side as if the person who had placed him there did not care. As she looked down at the green changeling, the young sorceress couldn't help but feel a little worried about him.

Placing her hand on top of him, she uttered a simple incantation under her breath. A golden light issued from her fingertips, coursing into his body like a powerful medicine. After a few moments of focusing her spell through his body, his eyes fluttered open.

Beast Boy let out a painful groan as he began to stir. He attempted to move his broken limbs, but found himself unable.

"Relax." Raven said, pushing the him into a more suitable position with her free hand. Grasping his arm, she began to focus on his broken bones.

"OW… Could you take it easy Rae, that really hurts." The green changeling said, pouting like a child as she held his arm in her hands.

"Calm down Beast Boy…" she replied giving her old friend a reassuring expression. "You're just feeling the bones in your arm heal."

"Yeah but it still hurts." He said, groaning in pain.

She nodded in response to his pain. It was now that she begun to truly realize how lucky she had been, having escaped the battle with minimal injuries. She really had to thank Doctor Fate for all that he had taught her in the time that she had been his student. He had taught her how to enhance her own healing abilities in the midst of battle, so that she could heal her injuries at a faster rate, and continue the fight without interruption. As these thoughts went through her mind, she began to focus more of her magical energy into her friend's fractured arm, muttering simple incantations under her breath.

"You never change, do you?" Raven asked, giving him a shadow of a smile.

Despite the sarcastic tone in which she had voiced her comment, her expression was soft and inviting… two qualities that people who knew her had rarely ever used to describe her. Realizing that Beast Boy had noticed, the young sorceress worked quickly to conceal her emotions, replacing the smile with her usual emotionless façade. The pair sat in silence for a few moments as she continued to heal his arms. With a resounding tap, his broken bones snapped back into place, reforming back together beneath his skin.

"Nice one Rae…" Beast Boy commented, moving one of his newly healed arm back and forth to test its durability. He wore a pleasant grin, looking thoroughly relieved to be able to move his limbs again. "I don't remember your healing magic being that strong before."

"Something I learned from Doctor Fate." She replied, shaking her head. "It's really not that hard if you practice enough."

Beast Boy sat up on his hospital bed, giving her a smile. "Well… sounds like you've gotten a lot better since the old days in Jump City. Give yourself some credit."

Raven stood up, looking unsure of how to react. "Thanks… Well… I'll see you later." She replied, turning around to leave.

To her surprise, the green changeling reached out to her as she attempted to leave, grasping her shoulder in his hand. For someone who had always been so short and lanky as a kid, he had definitely gotten stronger. His grip was surprisingly tight, something that she had never realized before. His sudden action had its desired effect, quickly catching her attention.

"What?" she asked, eying him with curiosity.

"Could you stay for a little while?" he asked, a pleading look in his eyes. "It's been a long time since we've talked. Could you stay a while… you know… for old time's sake"

Raven stared at him for a few moments, her stern gaze fixated on his face. After a few moments, her expression softened. She was actually unsure of what to say. She considered the idea in her mind, but wondered what Doctor Fate would say if she took too long. Taking a quick glance at her watch, she decided that maybe it would be all right to stay a short while. She had already healed the people she had been assigned to look after. Considering this, she decided to oblige, taking a seat in the chair next to his hospital bed.

"I guess I have some time. So… is there anything in particular that you want to talk about?" she asked, pushing her legs into a comfortable position. Reaching up to her face, the young sorceress lifted the hood of her robe so that he could see him better.

"Nah… I just wanted to talk to you. I sort of… missed you after the Titans split up." Beast Boy replied, his tone softer and less brash than usual.

After a few seconds, his face returned to his characteristic grin. He sat up a little higher, looking pleased that she had decided to stay for a while. Observing her facial features, he realized for the first time, just hoe beautiful she was. She had become quite lovely over the last few years, and was a little taller than before. Her hair had grown out a bit, the dark blue locks now reaching slightly past her shoulders, giving her a more mature appearance. Despite these physical changes, the most noticeable change was in her demeanor. Her expressions and mannerisms had become softer and more inviting since their days in the Teen Titans. Perhaps this was due to the fact that she had been free from her father's hold for over four years now, and had finally begun to loosen up a little. Thinking about it, he began to wonder why she always hid her face behind her hood.

The young sorceress watched him for a few moments, wondering why he had stopped talking. "What are you doing?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"What, oh… I was just thinking about the old days." He stammered out, attempting to hide what he had just been thinking.

Raven nodded, her eyes focusing on him like prison beacons. She had a piercing gaze that gave him the impression that she was reading his mind. Panicking for a moment, the green changeling looked down at his lap, breaking the eye contact.

"Something wrong?" she asked, calmly folding her hands in her lap as she spoke.

"Nothing…" he replied, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. Realizing what he was doing, the green changeling worked to regain his composure, sitting back against his pillow in an attempt to relax. "So Rae… what've you been up to?" he asked, sounding hesitant to pry into her life. He knew that Raven was a secretive person, and did not always oblige when people asked her too many questions.

"Nothing much." She replied, shifting slightly in her chair. "I've been learning a lot of spells from Doctor Fate, and he's also teaching me how to use new types of magic."

"So that explains all of those weird spells that you've been using lately. I don't hear you saying those magic words as much as before."

"This new magic that I've been practicing is a completely different type than my inbred powers. My magic is considered chaos magic or demon magic, and is much different from most types of sorcery."

"Is it difficult for you to learn?" he asked.

"It was at first. While I haven't mastered it yet, I think I've gotten the basic principles down so far. It is an entire new branch of sorcery to me, but when I utilize both types of magic, it can be really effective in battle."

Beast Boy smiled. "Sound like you've been busy lately…"

"I have." She replied bluntly, opening a rift in the air and pulling out a bag of books. "These are what I've been studying from." Placing the bag on his lap, she dumped the contents onto his bed.

"Wow… these are heavy." He commented, lifting the largest book. The tome was about a seven inches thick, and the print was relatively small.

She nodded, taking the books from him and placing them back into her storage dimension. She had discovered the spell in her early days of training with Doctor Fate, and she found it quite useful. It was like a purse, only much larger and more effective for organizational purposes. Not only could she store items in the space, but she could also call them back at will. Needless to say, it had been especially helpful in hiding the first crystal from the Joker, but now it didn't matter. The third Tri-gem had fallen into the hands of the enemy. As these thoughts ran through her head, she felt slightly ill.

"You okay Rae?" Beast Boy asked, looking concerned.

Raven glanced up at him, shaking off the feeling of dread that had threatened to overtake her. "I'm fine Beast Boy, but I'm more worried about the rest of the world. I was just wondering what we're going to do now. Slade stole the last Tri-gem."

"Don't let it eat you up inside." He replied, sounding uncharacteristically serious. "Falling into a depression isn't going to solve the problem now. As long as someone out there believes in doing the right thing there's always hope."

The young sorceress raised an eyebrow, a small smile appearing on her face. "You know what Beast Boy… you may not be as dumb as people think."

The green superhero scratched the back of his head, blushing slightly. "Gee thanks… HEY!" he shouted, catching the backhanded compliment.

Raven placed a finger to her lips, giving him a disapproving look. "Shhh… You're not the only person in the infirmary you know."

The hero's green face twisted into a silly grin as she spoke to him. "What are you? My Mother?" he replied, suppressing a snicker as he spoke.

She closed her eyes for a few moments, choosing to ignore his childish comment, rather than say anything. "Calm down." She replied, shaking her head. "What I really meant to say earlier was that you are actually pretty smart when you need to be."

"Nah… I was just the funny guy in our team. Remember all those ridiculous plans that I came up with when Dick used to ask us if we had any ideas. That's me, the green dude with the jokes."

It was Raven's turn to be smile. "Really… If I recall correctly, it was you who led us against the Brotherhood of Evil. If you hadn't taken charge, there's a chance that we would have lost that fight."

"It was just something that I felt was my responsibility at the time. Those creeps were my enemies long before you knew them."

The young sorceress nodded in response. While her face and tone betrayed little emotion, she was actually enjoying his company. It was actually kind of interesting when she really thought about it. After all, there were times when they were younger that she could barely stand his presence in the same building, and yet she had always appreciated his optimistic personality and weird sense of humor. Shrugging off the thought, she guessed that this was the reason that they had become such good friends over the years.

Beast Boy let out a cheerful laugh as he slid back onto the pillow of his bed. "Well I guess you're right, but I always thought that you were the smart one in the group."

"Really?" she replied, cocking an eyebrow at him. "It was usually Dick who devised the battle plans, not me."

"Oh c'mon Rae. You can read like… a dozen languages. Not to mention the fact that you've probably memorized hundreds of spells an incantations. I mean, look at the size of that book you showed me earlier. In my opinion, you're probably the most amazing person that I know." He said, leaning forward and laying his hands on top of hers.

The two friends sat as if they had been hit by a blast from Captain Cold's freeze ray, staring blankly at each other for a few moments. Raven blushed slightly as she realized how close they were to each other. Beast Boy appeared to have noticed their proximity as well, and a red flush had slowly begun to engulf his green face. As if they were thinking the same thing, the two heroes pulled their hands apart, turning away from each other in an abrupt manner.

She pushed her chair a few feet away from his bedside, allowing her to stand, and Beast Boy decided to lie back down on his bed. Turning back to her old friend, the young sorceress wasn't sure if she knew what to say. Despite her attempts to catch his eye, it appeared that he was actually trying to avoid looking directly at her. After a minute, the two heroes exchanged uneasy glances as if expecting the other to say something, but despite the situation, neither of them spoke. After a few moments, the silence passed.

Raven reached behind her head, pulling up the hood of her cloak as she started to leave. "I have something to do." She replied pausing in her steps. While she had addressed him, her voice had been devoid of emotion.

"That's fine…" Beast Boy replied, twiddling his thumbs in a nervous fashion. "I guess I'll see you later then."

"Right…" she said nonchalantly as the edge of her blue robe slipped through the door.

Raven continued down the hallway, wondering if she had made the right decision. Despite how many times she went over the situation in her head, one thing kept picking away at her mind. She still wondered if she should have said anything else, but the more she thought about it, the more confused she became. Remembering her previous obligation, she decided to shift these thoughts aside for some other time.

It would have been fine to take the Watchtower's transporter, but it would take her more time to get there. As she weighed her options, an idea sprung up from the back of her mind. She could always try using Doctor Fate's old teleportation spell. Floating into the air, she held her arms out, directing her magical energy through her entire body. After a few moments, a large wave of light engulfed her body, forming the image of an Egyptian Ankh. The glow surrounded her form for a few moments, her body vanishing in the light.

Looking around, she realized that the spell had been a success. She had reappeared in Doctor Fate's study. It was unnecessary to find him, as he was already there.

"I see you have come." The wizard commented, motioning for her to sit down.

The young sorceress took a seat in the large armchair a few feet away, pushing her legs into a sitting position. She enjoyed spending time in Doctor Fate's tower. It was an interesting place where one could feel the magic flowing freely in the air.

"What did you need to see me for." She asked, breaking the silence in the room.

"All in good time. I believe I owe you some explanations." He replied, handing her the strange artifact that she had seen the previous night. "I believe that you may be curious as to what it is."

Raven nodded in response to his question, but said nothing else.

Doctor Fate took the item from her, fingering the carving on the raven. "It is an ancient tool which was used by the order which defeated your father. I was able to find it in time to rescue you last night."

"Where did you find it?" she asked, leaning forward slightly to get a better look at the object.

"I went through many troubles to obtain that item. While I will not go into the detail, I will say that it was a long process that required me to use my mastery of spells to varying degrees." He finished, looking rather proud for a moment. "Perhaps as difficult as our journey through the depths of Tartarus."

She nodded, her expression unreadable. "But how did you know about that item anyway. I doubt you learned it from Slade."

"Easy enough to explain." He replied, handing her the tome that Hades had given to them.

Raven snapped opened the large book, using her magic to skim the pages quickly. After a moment, she had found what he had been talking about. "This…" she said, pointing to the picture of the item.

The magician nodded. "Indeed… It took me a while to translate this book, but I was able to do it in the end."

"I could have done it." She replied nonchalantly. "I can read this language without the need for a translation book."

Doctor Fate wore a surprised expression beneath his helmet. "How do you know such a language?"

"I know it because I studied it as a child. In addition to learning modern languages, I also learned how to read many ancient languages."

"Impressive… You are perhaps the most talented student that I have ever taught." he replied, grasping her shoulder briefly as he spoke. "But we must now put our magical training to use, and work to find a way to solve the problem at hand."

Raven nodded in agreement. "Exactly… Slade had all three Tri-gems. The question is how we are going to stop him from enacting his plans."

The wizard returned her nod. "Precisely, but I feel inclined to mention that we may have brought ourselves a little time."

"What do you mean?"

"Zatanna was able to capture Klarion, and if what I read in the book is correct, Deathstroke cannot perform the ritual without a master of the dark arts, and a sacrifice."

The young sorceress decided to inquire further. "What do you mean by sacrifice? Like an animal or a person?"

Doctor Fate shook his head, looking solemn. "I am sorry… but I believe that I can avoid this no longer… He requires your blood as a sacrifice for the ritual."

Her eyes widened in shock for a few seconds, giving her an oddly frightening appearance. "I… I thought that I was free from my Father's influence."

"That may be true, but I doubt that he is aware of this fact yet, or he would have attacked you directly during the attack on the Watchtower. If they are able to obtain a drop of your blood, they can use it in the spell."

Raven thought back to the battle, but she had used her rapid healing abilities to close her wounds during the battle. While she had still sustained injuries, there were very few open wounds on her body after the battle. Healing magic had many limitations, but she was lucky that Slade hadn't known about her blood. If he had, he probably would have attacked her.

"You are very fortunate that you were able to avoid major injury during the battle." He said.

"We can only hope that he doesn't find out anytime soon." She replied, casting her mentor a look of mingled worry and fear.

WITH NIGHTWING 

Nightwing sat back in his chair, eying his former mentor with curiosity. "So… did you guys use the lead that J'onn was able to force out of the Joker?"

Batman gave him a small nod, looking slightly irritated as he typed away at his computer keyboard. "Yeah… but we were too late."

"What do you mean?" the former sidekick asked, leaning forward slightly.

"We sent Atom to infiltrate a lair outside of Metropolis, but he said that it was completely abandoned. Not a single piece of evidence was left behind that could be used to help us further our search. From the report that Atom gave us, he was able to "

Dick Grayson scowled in annoyance, punching the metal wall with all of his strength. Pulling his fist away from the wall, he could see a small indent where his fist had been. Glancing at his knuckle, he realized that he was bleeding, but expressed no sign that it had caused him any pain. "That's the way he operates… always hiding in the dark waiting for the best moment to strike."

"I wouldn't recommend that you do that." Batman replied, casting a glance at his former sidekick.

Barbara Gordon sat a few feet away, shaking her head in disapproval, her hands folded in her lap. "Wow… I don't think I've ever seen you that angry."

He stood up, turning his back to his former teammates. "You weren't there…" he hissed in an unpleasant tone. "You don't know Slade like I do… You don't know what he did to me and my friends…"

"It's okay… calm down." Batgirl replied, placing a hand on his shoulder.

The former boy wonder swatted her hand away as he swept wordlessly towards the door, walking slightly faster than usual. "It's fines…" he replied, his voice significantly calmer than it had been moments ago. "I'm going to launch an investigation on my own. Let me know if you find out anything."

Batman nodded his head in agreement as he spared one last glance at his old sidekick. Besides this small gesture, the Dark Knight gave no other sign that he had been paying attention.

The female hero approached her mentor, her expression that of mixed concern and annoyance. "Should we just let him go off like that? If he runs into trouble and word gets out that he's by himself, the Legion is bound to send people after him."

"He's old enough to take care of himself. You know that." Batman replied as he continued to observe some of the diagrams on his computer screen.

"I hope he'll be okay." Barbara said, more to herself than to Batman.

"Trust me… he will." Batman replied, looking serious. "He's a stubborn man, but he knows what he's doing."

"Just like his old man." She said to herself, a small smile appearing on her face. Turning towards the nearby chair, she pulled her black cloak onto her shoulders as she prepared to leave. "It's getting late… I should get back to Gotham."

"Fine…" Batman said, handing her a small device. "But you'll need this."

Batgirl glanced at the item for a few moments, her eyes scanning it with interest. "What is this?" she asked, having already guessed.

"A Justice League Communicator…" he replied nonchalantly. Switching off his computer, the Dark Knight spun his chair around so that he could see her better.

"You mean I'm an official member now." She replied, her face beaming with excitement.

The Caped Crusader nodded, but his expression remained unreadable. After a few moments, he gave her a small smile. "Don't get too excited. You're only a part-timer, and you still need to help Tim protect Gotham City in my absence. Remember… your first responsibility is to the city."

"I promise to do well." she replied, inserting the small device into her ear. Turning around, she left the room.

"I'm sure you will." Batman uttered quietly to himself.

WITH BATGIRL 

Barbara Gordon had been working continued searching for the way to the main hanger. Despite the fact that she had been there before, the Watchtower was still a very large space station, and was like a small city in itself in some ways. If you didn't know the layout of the building, it was easy to get lost.

As she continued walking, a pair of hands seized her by the shoulders and pulled her through the nearby door.

"Hey! What was that for?" Batgirl shouted, casting a look of annoyance at the culprit.

Starfire stood a few feet away, an uneasy smile on her face. "Greetings former friend of Dick Grayson. Have you seen him?"

"Oh… it's you." The young vigilante replied. "Why are you asking me anyway? Aren't you that one who's dating him?"

The Tamaranean nodded her head. "Indeed, but I came to you in hopes that you had seen him. You see, he does not always tell me much about his personal issues."

"Tell me about…" Barbara replied, a strange thought crossing her mind at that moment. From the sound of it, Nightwing hadn't been much more open with this girl than he had been with her.

"Did he tell you of anything important?" Starfire asked, a hopeful look dancing in her eyes.

Batgirl let out a hollow laugh, having anticipated this question before she had even asked it. "Sorry to say this, but he doesn't let anyone get to close. Dick is like Batman, but to a lesser extent in most ways. He really has issues when it comes time to relationships."

Starfire nodded in agreement, her expression becoming more serious. "You are indeed correct… I do not believe that he is good at showing the emotions. Despite this, I still love and care for him very much, and I wish to know why he did not stay."

Barbara gave her a small nod, wondering what she could do to help. "I'm not sure if I can help you find him… but I think I may know what he's up to… Batman brought up the topic of Deathstroke, and for some reason, Dick let his temper get to him. He calmed down just long enough to tell us that he was going on his own investigation."

Starfire's green eyes filled with understanding as she realized why Nightwing had left so quickly. She was never the smart one or the strong one in her family, but no one considered her to be stupid. There was a difference between being unfamiliar with Earth culture, and being unintelligent. Batgirl's voice echoed through her thoughts, interrupting what she had been thinking about.

"I just want to know one thing…" Batgirl asked, raising an eyebrow at the Tamaranean. "Nightwing's been acting really weird ever since he found out about Deathstroke's involvement in this whole crisis. What did he do to you guys all of those years ago?"

The Tamaranean Princess shook her head, looking hesitant. "I am sorry… but most of use do not wish to discuss such a terrible man. In many ways, he is far worse than any criminal that I have ever met."

"I just want to know why Dick hate's him so much." Barbara replied.

She thought carefully before answering, attempting to put as easily as possible. "He is… a man who… who plays with the emotions of his victims. When we first fought him, he displayed the ability to turn friend against friend." She replied, closing her eyes and looking down at the floor. "Slade… has done terrible things to us all. Many times, it was as if he gained enjoyment from performing such horrible deeds. He could have killed us many times, but for some reason he did not."

"I get it… that freak must enjoy watching his victims suffer, which is probably why he let you live." Batgirl replied, thinking about what she had just heard.

Upon further thought, the young vigilante realized that the only person that she had ever met with such a sick mind was the Joker. If Deathstroke was as bad as she had just heard, it was no wonder that Dick had developed such a deep hatred for him. Even seeing the cold relationship between Batman and Nightwing was proof enough that Dick Grayson was not the easiest person to forgive past conflicts. She finally realized why he had been so touchy around the subject of that particular villain.

"Perhaps you are correct." Starfire replied, bowing her head in respect. "I thank you for your help."

Batgirl nodded, looking satisfied. "It's fine… I should be thanking you. He never really discussed what happened in Jump City all those years ago, and it makes sense now that I have some idea."

The two heroes stood in silence for a few minutes, neither of them speaking to one another. After a few moments, an evil smile lit Barbara's face. "Why don't I tell you some interesting things about what it's like to actually go out on a date with Dick Grayson." She asked, taking a seat at one of the tables in the room.

"You were his previous special one? Let us talk." Starfire said, nodding in excitement as she took a seat in the chair opposite Barbara.

WITH SLADE 

Deathstroke was in an unusually good mood today. Not only had he been able to obtain all of the Tri-gems, but he had also been able to keep his Secret Society together. It had been a while since he had experienced such an excellent turn of events. He sat back in his chair, eying the three jewels on his desk with growing admiration. After seeing what these artifacts were capable of doing, he had been even more anxious to test them out again. Looking up from he desk, he realized that he had something to attend to.

The masked crime lord stood up, placing the Tri-gems into his utility belt as he left his office. He would have to be careful when it came time to those trinkets. If anyone else was able to get their hands on them, it could mean an all-out mutiny within the Secret Society. He had heard rumors about what had happened between Lex Luthor and Grodd, and had taken precautions to prevent something like that from happening to his organization.

Thrusting open the nearby door, Slade entered the room beyond. It was a large room, with one large table in the center. From the looks of it, most of the members who were not captured during the battle on board the Watchtower were present for this meeting. The villains chatted excitedly with one another, many of them looking less than happy with the current situation. It appeared that many of them did not support the attack on the Watchtower, and were still angry about it. If he were to avoid conflict within the group, he would have to perform the ritual soon.

The masked villain took the seat at the head of the counsel table, raising his hand for silence as he settle himself into his chair. The mob of unruly villains quieted down, all of them staring at their leader in an expectant fashion.

"I am glad to see that many of you have returned safely from our previous mission." He announced, observing the irritated expressions on the faces of many of the villains.

"This plan of yours had better be worth it." Mirror Master replied, folding his arms in contempt. "We didn't put our necks on the line for you to gain power…"

Metallo slammed his fist onto counsel table, looking positively murderous. He had recently been repaired by Toyman and Professor Chang, and had been outfitted with a new Kryptonite Battery. "I agree. You promised us power and wealth in compensation for our help, but it appears that the only person who has benefited is you."

"We demand compensation!" Professor Chang chimed in, clenching his fists in annoyance.

Slade sat back in his chair, folding his arms as he relaxed his shoulders. Despite being surrounded by a mob of disgruntled villains, he was acting as if he hadn't a care in the world.

"And what may I ask is so amusing to you?" Volcana asked, leaning forward slightly as she spoke. "Surely you plan to cooperate."

"I plan to." Slade replied, his tone remaining calm and relaxed. "But perhaps before you accuse me of any dark dealings, you should ask yourselves something…"

Toyman cocked his masked head to the side. "Deathstroke… What kind of a game are you trying to play? Surely you've realized by now that you have not held you end of the bargain."

Deathstroke gave them a hollow, humorless laugh. "Perhaps you will allow me to finish speaking before you interrupt. I was just about to ask if I have ever been unable to fulfill my end of a deal. I made bargains with many of you when I first reassembled this organization, and not once have I ever gone back on my word."

His words earned a murmur of agreement from the surrounding villains, most of which appeared to be unsure of what to believe.

"Exactly…" Slade interjected, having seen their reactions.

The Clock King took out his pocket watch, having had it polished recently. "I apologize for my rudeness, but I must inform you that this next step to your plan is taking much longer than we had originally anticipated. Perhaps you should tell us what you plan to do next."

"Four-eyes has a point." Captain Boomerang added, fingering one of his explosives in a threatening manner. "You put us all at risk, and now you claim that there's another step to your plan. If this takes to long, we just may have to elect a new leader."

Slade smiled behind his mask, having been thoroughly amused by the threat. "While this next step to my master plan may take a bit longer to accomplish, I assure you that you will all have what you desire in the end. Does anyone wish to voice any more complaints." He finished, looking quite satisfied with the result. "I would prefer if we did not fight over the matter. Such violence would accomplish nothing as most of us have experienced in the past. The Justice League is well organized, and we too must follow that example if we are to survive in this modern world."

The few villains who had stood up quickly sat down, having grudgingly agreed with their masked leader.

"I assure you for the umpteenth time that you have little to worry about." Deathstroke commented. "If it will ease your minds, I shall explain the rest of my plan in more detail. When the crystals that I have obtained are placed on the Alter of Trigon… a great power will be unleashed upon the world, allowing us to command hordes of demons. With these new forces at our command, the Justice League will not be able to stop us."

"I never really understood this magic crap." Killer Frost spat, releasing a large wad of ice from her mouth as her expression becoming cold and forbidding.

Deathstroke smiled again, his expression remaining calm. "Clam yourself my dear. I have already made the arrangements so that this plan can continue onward."

"Klarion was captured during the raid." Trident interrupted. "We have no means of enacting the so-called ceremony without an expert."

"Already taken care of." Slade replied, lifting his hand to silence the Atlantian villain. "Are there any more concerns?"

When no one raised any more objections, Slade nodded his head. "If no one else has any objections, then you may leave. This meeting is over…" As he spoke, the unruly pack of villains rose from their seats, heading for the door.

Slade turned back towards his office, having made previous arrangements with a new collaborator. As the door closed behind him, he listened carefully to make sure that no one was near his door. He would prefer that this next transaction be kept a secret.

As if one cue a strange woman materialized into his office, her body glowing with a strange light as she appeared before him. After a few moments, the light dispersed, allowing him to see her clearly for the first time.

She was an interesting sight, appearing as if she had stepped out of the ancient times. Her hair was long and black, and she wore elaborate robes and golden armor, giving her an unnatural yet somehow magnificent appearance. While her strange taste in clothing was interesting enough, the most interesting part of her outfit was the large mask, which she wore over her face. The mask was carved out of gold, and appeared to cling to her face as if it had been made solely for the purpose of concealing her face.

"I came per your request." She explained, inclining her head in a sort of bow as she spoke. "Surely you will tell me why you have called upon me."

Slade grinned behind his own mask. "I am pleased that the great sorceress, Morgaine Le Fey, would honor me with her presence." He replied, returning her bow.

"Be silent…" she replied, her tone changing suddenly. "Why have you summoned me here?"

"I require assistance, and I believe that you are the only one capable of providing me with what I need." Deathstroke replied. "I need a master of the dark arts to help me with my newest acquisition."

"I have no interest in helping a worthless peon like you." She replied, turning her back to him. "I have no desire to help you achieve you selfish goals."

"Still sulking over the foolishness of your son Mordred." Slade commented, a grin forming on his face. "Surely your talents can be used in a more productive manner. After all, what good is the idea of seizing the Earth for a powerless brat to rule?"

The sorceress turned around on the spot, her body radiating with fury. "How dare you insult my son!" she replied, blasting the masked villain with dark magic. The attack appeared to engulf his body, but as the light vanished, he appeared to be unharmed. A large wall of fire had surrounded his body, shielding him from her blast.

"What is this chaos magic that I can sense?" she replied, staring at him in disbelief.

Slade cocked his head to the side, looking slightly amused as the wall of fire dissipated. "Perhaps I should explain things in more detail. I have recently obtained the three crystals left behind by the demon Trigon, and I believe that you have the ability to perform the ceremony that will allow me to tap into the full power of the Tri-gems."

"You tamper with powers that you could not possibly comprehend." She said, taking a few steps forward. "I will not aid you with your mad quest to harness such terrifying power."

"Come now, surely this is a chance for both of us to benefit." He replied. "If you aid me, I promise you compensation for your help."

The sorceress turned to him, her expression concealed by the mask. "What would you have that I would desire? I made it my goal to conquer the world and give rule of the Earth to my son, Mordred… Surely there is no way to restore his powers when he freely gave them up."

The masked crime lord laughed again, his tone low and venomous. "You misunderstand me… What of your own desires? If you do me this favor, I shall grant you a position in the new rule of the Earth."

"You speak as if I would wish to serve someone was despicable as yourself." She retaliated, taking a few steps forward. "Still… What if I were to except this… this proposal?"

"I assure you that I have no greater desire than the destruction of the Justice League and dominion under the sign of evil. You may do as you wish under the rule of my organization… Do you not wish for the destruction of all that have stood in the way of your plans? Do you not hunger for revenge for yourself, and your son?"

The masked sorceress stood trapped in thought for a few minutes. Perhaps this man was right about a few things. She had no greater plans of her own at the moment, and it was her desire to see the end of all who would oppose her… Perhaps there was no better option. Looking up at the masked crime lord, she gave him a small nod.

"Excellent…" he replied returning her nod. "Now come with me… I will show you what you need to know."

Slade pressed a button on his desk, revealing a set of stairs hidden behind the bookshelf. The sorceress followed after him, wondering if she had made the right decision.

NOTE TO READERS: Another chapter down. I'll probably add one more minor conflict, and then I think I'll head for the main event. I hope I get enough support for a sequal. (I think I'll include characters from other time era's like the Batman Beyond Era) Pleas continue giving me support, I really need some at this point.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30: The Darkness Looms**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters or logos.

Raven was never the type to go shopping for fun, but somehow she had let Starfire drag her along on this futile trip to Gotham's largest mall. It had been a while since the two friends had spent some time together, but if that weren't enough, she found this situation even stranger than usual. They were being guided around town by Batgirl, who had actually been the one to suggest the idea in the first place. The world was in active danger, and here she was taking a trip to the galleria.

The three of them were dressed differently than usual. Due to the circumstances, they decided to blend in with the crowd for a change. Back in Jump City it had not been such a problem, because everyone knew about them. Now that the Legion of Doom was out to destroy the Justice League, it was a better idea to be as inconspicuous as possible. While Barbara had a secret identity, Starfire and Raven had rarely ever dressed in a way that would be considered normal for the average female.

Starfire wore a simple outfit, which covered more of her body than her traditional Tamaranean clothing. From looking at her, Raven could tell that the Tamaranean was not feeling very comfortable. Hiding her identity was not something that she normally did, and from her constant wriggling, she apparently found the outfit rather uncomfortable. Raven couldn't help but feel awkward at her own appearance. She had used the concealment spell again, and felt unsure of whether she liked her disguise or not. The long blonde hair and tanned skin may have been considered normal in comparison to her blue locks and black leotard, but the more she saw her reflection in the shop windows the less she liked it. For some reason, it just didn't feel like her.

The young sorceress walked a few steps behind her fellow heroes, taking in her surroundings as they talked excitedly. Since when had those two become friends? Thinking about this, she had a shrewd suspicion that they were talking about Dick Grayson again. Staring around at the innocent bystanders, Raven was actually glad to be away from all of her troubles today. She was off duty today, and even Doctor Fate had given her a break from practicing her spells. Were it not for the worry created by Slade's actions aboard the Watchtower, it would have been the perfect day. Taking a seat on a nearby bench, she decided to take a rest and meditate a little bit.

"Hey witch girl, are you coming or not." Barbara asked, turning her head for a second.

Starfire nodded vigorously, her smile widening. "She is correct, surely you would not wish to be left behind."

"Raven cocked an eyebrow, clearly amused by the situation. Standing up, she decided to go after them. "All right, hold on a second." She replied, scooping up her bag in her arms as she followed the pair of redheads. Considering her present company, she had a feeling that this was going to be a strange day.

**WITH NIGHTWING **

It was getting late, and Dick Grayson had finally made it back to Jump City. It had been years since he had last been here, but from the looks of things, the city was still very much the same. He had stopped by the pizza shop earlier for lunch, and it was exactly the same as he had remembered it all those years ago. The only thing different was the overall atmosphere of his meal.

He was used to spending time by himself now, but there were still times when he longed for the old days when Beast Boy and Cyborg argued over the pizza toppings, and Starfire attempted to order outrageous things that she remembered from Tamaran. Yes, things seemed so much simpler back in those days. No secret identity, no Batman barking orders, no Martian issuing commands. It was just he and his group friends, fighting evil and fighting over the last slice of pizza.

As these memories flowed through his mind, the former Titan couldn't help but smile. It was amazing how his life had gone so far. He spent years acting as Batman's sidekick, founded his own superhero team, and then returned to Gotham years later. After that he had spent most of time prowling the streets of different cities, fighting villains whenever and wherever he was needed, but now things had changed. He was a reserve member of the Justice League, and ironic as it was, his friends had also joined the organization. He was happy to see them again especially Starfire, whom he had left years ago, months after establishing their relationship.

Considering his own lack of consideration, he couldn't blame her for acting so cold towards him when they met again after four long years of separation. It had been his own disregard for his teammates that had caused the team to split up, and even now there were times that he regretted the result of his selfish actions. Over the last four years he had established himself as a hero, but was it really worth dissolving the Titans? Oh well… what's done could not be changed.

Looking up at the starry sky, Nightwing realized that it was getting late. This city had brought back so many memories, that he had spent half the day visiting his old hangouts rather than searching for clues on the Legion on Doom's whereabouts.

Reaching into his pocket, the former sidekick took out his wallet, and for the first time in his superhero career, he realized that he was broke. When he had worked in Gotham as the first Robin, Bruce had usually given him considerable compensation for his work. As a matter of fact, he had never really had money troubles until he founded the Titans.

It had taken a lot of money to buy the materials to build the tower, and that was basically the last of his savings. It was fortunate that they had other ways of making cash. While there were many super villains that they received reward money for capturing, being a superhero was never really as profitable as it sounded. Even he had turned down reward money in the past, only accepting it if he really needed it to get by. That was just the life of a hero, and he did what he did because part of being a hero was doing things because you want to help, not because you wanted easy money. A man who captures criminals for the money is nothing more than a filthy bounty hunter, something that he had learned over the years.

Scowling in annoyance, he realized that he had no other choice but to go back to his old home… Titans Tower. It took him awhile to cross the city on foot, but when he had finally reached the entrance to the building, it had been several hours.

The tower sat on a small island off the coast of Jump City. Although the place looked just as majestic, it appeared to be much lonelier than it had years ago. The only person actually living there now was Cyborg, and from the fact that all of the lights were off, it looked like he wasn't home at the moment. The half robot hero was probably still back at the Watchtower, monitoring the space station's systems.

Taking a few steps forward, the hero gave a pronounced knock on the front door. The sound of his fist rapping against the metal echoed into the distance, eventually disappearing into the night. Sighing in exhaustion, Nightwing began sorting through his pocket again. After a few moments of searching, his hand resurfaced, clutching a small round device between his fingers. It had been so long since he had done this, but he always had a feeling that this little device was bound to come in handy one of these days. Flicking the switch, he activated the tower's frequency.

"Computer… open front entrance." He said into his old Titan's Communicator.

"Command recognized…" the computer voice replied. "User input requested."

"User code number 001. Voice code… Robin" the former boy wonder stated. While it seemed immature, he was still not happy about having to use his old title.

"Code accepted…" the computer replied, causing the front doors to slide open in admittance.

He hesitated for a moment before stepping through the threshold, flicking a switch as he entered the main room of the building. The lights flashed on, illuminating the area and restoring visibility. The masked hero took in his surroundings, and everything seemed to be as he remembered it from the old days.

A large plasma screen television sat in the center of the room, in front of a large red couch. The room itself opened wide, ending in a large window overlooking Jump City.

Closing the doors behind him, Nightwing closed the shades to prevent any unwanted attention from prying eyes. After making sure that everything was secure, the weary vigilante sat down on the sofa and clicked on the television. The evening news was on tonight, but he didn't seem to be paying much attention to it. The young hero was too busy in his memories, thinking of all the good times that he and his friends had spent on this couch. Now those days seemed like so long ago. Glancing at the cushions beneath him, he realized that this was the same place where they used to play video games when they were kids. Cyborg usually won, but most of them never really cared about the loss. It was Beast Boy that had the knack for taking videogames a little too seriously.

Placing his hand on the cushion, the young hero remembered the day that green changeling's pet Silkie had spit up on the couch. He gave small chuckle as he glanced at the stain. Even after all these years it still hadn't come out of the cushions.

Shifting his focus to the television, he decided that it was best not to get distracted. He didn't come all the way to Jump City to reminisce… he had come here with an important mission. The masked murderer Slade was still at large, and possessed the means of bringing the world to its knees. If someone didn't find the maniac and stop his plans soon, it could be the end of the Earth.

As he listened to the reporters on television, he realized that a lot had changed in the last few years. During the time of the Titans, they often faced villains and monsters, but now there didn't seem to be any major problems in the city. Instead, the reporters focused on normal stories like the weather, the election for mayor, and the local construction sights. He wasn't really surprised… part of the reason that the other Titans had left Jump City was the major decline of villains and monsters appearing in the city. Since the bad guys had moved on, so did they.

Taking a deep breath, Dick Grayson began to feel the weariness that threatened to overtake his body. Giving into his body's need to rest, the young hero felt himself slowly drift off to sleep.

WITH RAVEN 

It had been a long day, but they had finally made it to the final stop in Gotham City. Taking a seat beside Barbara and Starfire, the young sorceress collapsed in her seat, letting out a breath of annoyance as she did so. Raven was not much of a shopper, and usually she did such things to buy new robes, and spend some time with her friends.

The place that they were in was all too familiar. She had been there before with Huntress and Question. The Iceberg Lounge was just as she remembered from her previous visit. The large cavernous walls parted like a large artic valley as people sat and discussed business. She recognized a few of the people present, some of them she was less than happy to see.

Roulette sat on the other side of the room, talking to a large man dressed in a suit. While she had never met him before, she recognized his face from the Justice League's criminal archives on the Watchtower's computers. It was Rupert Thorpe, the local mafia boss and a common collaborator of the Penguin.

"Raven… What are you attempting to obtain a view of?" Starfire asked, looking confused.

"Them…" Raven replied grudgingly, shifting her head in the direction of the two criminals sitting across the room.

Barbara shook her head. "Don't worry… criminals come in here all the time to discuss their business. Besides, the three of us are off duty tonight."

The young sorceress gave a curt nod, turning away from the pair of villains in disgust. Despite the calming atmosphere, she couldn't relax in a club that was frequently visited by Gotham's worst criminals.

"I'll see you guys later." She replied, turning to leave.

Entering the woman's restroom, she decided to change first. Entering one of the stalls, she began muttering an incantation under her breath. After a few moments, her long blonde hair retracted, becoming slightly shorter as it returned to the dark blue color that she always had. Her skin became pale and a small red jewel reappeared on her forehead. He dress vanished, revealing her black leotard underneath. While most people did not consider her true appearance normal, she liked it. It was who she was, and she didn't care about what other people thought.

A loud flamboyant voice interrupted her thoughts, followed by the sound of high heels clattering across the tile floor. There was no mistaking that cocky tone… it was Roulette. Hovering a few inches of the ground to avoid detection, she used a spell to see through the front wall.

The red-clad villain stood by the mirror adjusting her make-up. Poison Ivy was with her.

"I still can't believe the plan involves someone like her, can you?" she asked, sparing a small glance at the insane environmentalist.

Poison Ivy shrugged, looking indifferent. "Not my problem. Just let the boss do what he wants. He's kept his promises so far."

Roulette let out a snort of laughter. "So did that hairy ape who used to lead us, but what does that matter. I have a Meta Brawl to host tomorrow night anyway, so I can finally make some quick cash."

The two walked out the door without another word leaving Raven to wonder is she had heard anything important. Shrugging off the idea, she realized that they were not fools. The pair of female villains had been extremely vague in their conversation, making it safe for them to talk in public. If only she has heard more.

Making sure that no one else was around, she muttered another incantation, and was gone in a flash of light.

WITH SLADE 

"Are you almost finished?" Slade barked, as he continued pacing the room in an impatient manner.

Morgaine Le Fey cocked her head to the side, casting her employer an irritated look. While her golden mask hid her facial expressions, he was able to recognize her obscene gestures. "Be patient…" the sorceress snapped back at him, placing another ingredient in her large black cauldron. "Magic cannot be rushed if it is to be a success. I still require many more ingredients for the next spell to work correctly."

Deathstroke breathed an angry sigh, his patience returning for the moment. "Can we not simply use Warp's device to enter the dimension where Trigon's shrine is located?"

The sorceress shook her head in annoyance. "Of course not… The dimension was sealed off long ago by ancient magic. Only magic of equal potency can break the seal, and such a spell will take time and patience to perform."

"I see…" Slade replied, collapsing into a nearby chair. "The order who defeated Trigon were much more intelligent than I originally thought…"

The sorceress raised a hand to silence the masked villain. "I require concentration for this next incantation… Do not distract me."

Slade raised an eyebrow in response to her sudden command, looking interested to see what was about to happen. While he was normally not the type of person to allow other people to push him around, the masked criminal knew that what she was doing was to further his own goals, and would undoubtedly produce interesting results.

Having received his cooperation, the sorceress began to chant extremely complex incantations out loud, causing the contents of the cauldron to hiss and spit like a pot of boiling water as the bubbles broke at the surface. The ingredients submerged in the murky brown water, dissolving into the potion's depths like grains of salt. With a final hiss, a large billowing cloud of smoke burst from the cauldron, expanding like an explosion in the desert. After a few moments, the vapor dissipated into nothingness, leaving the bottom of the cauldron coated with a sticky blue residue. While the mess was clearly not alive, it appeared to be moving like a frightened animal.

Morgaine Le Fey reached into the folds of her robes, pulling out a small glass phial. Waving her hands in a swirling motion, the blue substance was drawn into the bottle. After checking the bottom of the cauldron for leftover residue, she placed a stopper on the phial in her hands, sealing it with another spell.

"The first step is complete…" she replied, placing the phial into her robes.

"First… step…" Slade replied, as he felt his patience slipping away. "All of that an the spell is still not complete…"

She looked surprised that he had said this. "Of course not… This potion that I have created is only the first step… It is only good enough to open the doorway to the dark dimension that you wish to enter. I must still gather the components necessary for the ceremony, and that is bound to take some time. Even I may take a while to find such rare ingredients."

The masked crime lord nodded, folding his hands together in a more patient manner. "Tell me what you need and I will direct my sources into obtaining it."

The sorceress collapsed in the chair opposite Slade, placing her fingers to her forehead area on her mask. "This will not be easy… I have most of the ingredients available, but I will also require Chimera Scale, Phoenix Feather, and Sacred Greek Steel."

Slade smiled behind his mask. "Well… I believe that I can be of assistance." He replied, handing her a dagger from his utility belt."

"What is this?" she replied, picking up the small blade.

"It is a dagger that one of the Amazons tried to kill me with during my invasion of Themyscira. I believe that it fits the requirements…" he said, grinning as he remembered how easy it was to kill the Amazon with the very blade that she had tried to use on him.

She said nothing in response as she observed the blade carefully. Sliding the end of the dagger between her fingers, she tried to detect any trace that the blade was a counterfeit, but could not see anything to prove that it was. After a few moments, the sorceress inclined her head in approval.

"Amazon steel… This weapon is forged of the finest metal, most likely it was created by the Greek God, Hephaestus." she commented, giving the blade a lazy swing as she admired it. "Such a rare item, it is unbreakable by a normal means. You were fortunate to have obtained this."

"Why is that?" Slade asked, taking a closer look at the dagger. "Surely every Amazon has one."

"Exactly…" she replied nonchalantly. "Each of them is given only one of these… The rest of their weapons are made of normal steel, which is wrought by their own hands."

Deathstroke sat back down on his chair. "Still… where do we obtain the other missing ingredients?"

"I shall have to do that myself… but I believe that there is one man in this dimension who pedals such wares. I will go to him soon, but there is one final ingredient that I neglected to mention…"

"What?" Slade asked, clenching his fist in annoyance.

"I require a soul… a dark soul… the spirit of Trigon's daughter." She finished.

Slade grinned behind his mask, realizing how convenient that this was turning out. Sitting back in his seat, he looked pleased for the first time that evening. "I believe I can help you with that… I have a plan."

NOTE TO READERS: Thanks for your continued support, an I hope that many of you will continue to review my story. I think that I'll have Raven test her powers againts Morgaine Le Fey, but I am not entirely sure whether I should do that in the next chapter.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31: Magical Duel**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to any DC characters of logos. This story is merely for fun, not profit.

Doctor Fate had been in meditation for the last few hours, probing the mystical alignment with his mind. He had spent quite a bit of time sitting on the floor of his study, breathing in the light incense that he had burned. Small devices stood in a rectangular pattern around his body as he floated a few inches off of the ground. It was needless to say that the wizard had developed a certain sensitivity to the changes in the flow of magical energy. He was used to this by now, but something wasn't quite right about the situation. A strange dark presence was hanging in the air like a dense fog, disturbing the mystical alignment in the world. The Earth itself was full of magic… it was just something that very few people had the gift to utilize.

Closing his eyes, his breaths became much deeper and more controlled. The presence was hauntingly familiar, yet he could not think of who or what he was sensing. After several minutes of continued meditation, the answer came to him like a bucket of cold water being splashed over his face Strangely enough he had found the answer, but did he had no desire to accept it. The strange magical vibe that he could sense in the world was the same dark presence given off by the dark sorceress Morgaine Le Fey, but no one had seen her in a long time.

Ever since her son Mordred had ruined his own plans to rule the world, his mother had remained relatively silent about the whole ordeal. The renowned sorceress who defeated the Shining Knight and almost destroyed King Arthur's kingdom, was now at large again. For some reason, it didn't make any sense… With her ambition to make her son the ruler of the Earth shattered, what could she possibly be up to now?

Landing on the floor, the wizard pushed himself into a standing position, determined to find out what the vindictive sorceress was trying to accomplish. He knew some people who could help him, but he could only hope that they were reachable at the time. Raven was bound to return to the tower soon enough, but for the time being it would be the best idea for him to get some help from someone who had the experience. Jason Blood was obviously the best choice for the job, but all he could do was hope that the demon man was available to aid him.

Walking over to the crystal ball on his table, the renowned mystic began to utter a series of shorter incantations under his breath. After a few moments, a swirling smoke seemed to appear, filling the crystal ball. The smoke changed, becoming the color of fire, which began to engulf the inside of the orb. After a few moments the red smoke cleared, revealing the image of a man's face.

"You contacted me?" Jason Blood replied, his face floating inside of the crystal ball.

The wizard collapsed into a nearby chair, giving the man a small nod. "I wish to speak to you about a matter of the utmost importance. I have sensed something that I believe you would wish to know about."

"Perhaps you would care to elaborate…"

Doctor Fate appeared to be slightly nervous about the situation. "Indeed… I felt a familiar presence in the mystical alignment during my daily meditation ritual, and through this I have discovered that an old friend of yours has returned."

"Who?" the demon man responded, hoping that it wasn't what he thought it was.

The magician bowed his head. "I believe that Morgaine Le Fey has returned… and something tells me that she hasn't come back just to catch up with old friends."

"What reason would the witch have to reveal herself again? Her goals to make her son the king of the world backfired when the kid used up all of his power."

"I do not know…" the wizard replied. "But I am sure that whatever she is up to will not benefit the world. Perhaps you will concede to come to my tower as soon as you are able."

Jason Blood gave him a curt nod, his face vanishing from the surface of the magician's crystal ball. Walking over to the nearest cabinet, he pulled out a small vial filled with black ooze. Pouring the contents onto the ground, he muttered a simple incantation, opening a portal beneath his feet. The small vortex pulled him into its murky depths, reopening in Doctor Fate's sitting room. The magician approached him as he stepped out of the vortex, gesturing towards the nearby door.

"Gone, Gone, the form of Man, Rise the Demon Etrigan." He bellowed, calling forth the demon in his soul. After a few moments, he reappeared in his demonic form, stepping out of the hellfire that had previously engulfed his body. Taking a few steps forward, he followed after the magician.

The wizard sat down at the end of a large table, his wife sitting in the chair to the right. The demon took the seat to his left, looking quite impatient.

"Where do we find Le Fey?" Etrigan sneered, glaring at the crystal ball on the center of the table.

"We don't… she is after something and I doubt that she will reveal herself to us until she is ready to strike."

The demon spat on the floor, a grim expression appearing on his face. "Cowardly wench!"

As if on cue, a third figure materialized into the room, appearing in a brilliant flash of light. After a few moments, the light faded away, revealing Raven's form. She stood a few feet away from them, her long robes covering her entire body, sliding lightly over the surface of the floor. The expression that she was unreadable, but something about her presence seemed to calm the room's atmosphere.

Her deep blue eyes scanned the room, settling on Etrigan for a few seconds as she approached Doctor Fate. "I sensed something evil during my meditation…" she stated bluntly, looking to him for the answer.

Doctor Fate nodded solemnly as he looked down at her. "I too have sensed this disturbance, and I believe that I know who is behind it."

The young sorceress stiffened, looking slightly anxious despite her beast efforts to maintain her emotionless façade. "What… Did Slade do something?" she stammered, clenching her fists.

The wizard shook his head, looking uncertain. "I am not sure if they new evil has anything to do with the Tri-gems, but the presence that I could feel was one that I have sensed many times before."

"Twas the foul witch, Morgaine Le Fey." Etrigan barked, interrupting the conversation. "That filthy wench is probably planning on taking advantage of the chaos caused by that masked freak that upset the balance of the mystical alignment."

Raven's eyes widened in shock… her expression stiffening by the second. This new development was just as disturbing as the news of the third crystal. Morgaine Le Fey was a dark sorceress of great and terrible power, and had almost destroyed King Arthur's Kingdom many centuries ago. She was a legendary figure who had appeared in many stories throughout history, and chaos always followed her evil actions. Even the seven founding members of the Justice League had barely been able to thwart her plans in the past.

"What does she desire?" Raven asked as she pushed back her hood. "Does it have anything to do with us?"

The magician looked down at the floor for a few seconds before answering. "We cannot be sure of anything yet, but from past experiences I believe that we should find her."

"I assume that you have a tracking spell that we can use." Raven asked, sounding hopeful.

"Perhaps I can prepare one, but I will require some special ingredients." He stated, tossing her a book from the shelf behind him.

The young sorceress caught the book in one hand, cracking it open with her other hand. The pages of the book began to turn automatically, producing the page that she sought. Her eyes scanned the page for a few moments, but the more she read, the more concerned she became.

"Chimera scale is impossible to find." Raven stated, looking up at her mentor.

The wizard gave her a quick nod. "In most cases I would agree, but I believe that Zatanna once obtained that ingredient from a shop that specializes in magical items and curios. Perhaps you could visit the shop and fetch me the Chimera scale while I prepare the locator spell."

"Where is this shop?" she asked with a note of curiosity in her voice.

"Never mind that." He replied, picking up a small bottle from the nearby table. Uncorking the phial, he poured the contents onto the floor.

Raven raised an eyebrow in curiosity, but she was not bothered by this sudden use of magic. There was a time when she only used magic if it were necessary, but ever since she had started living in Doctor Fate's tower, she found herself using spells much more often. It had become even more instinctive then before, especially now that she could perform different types of magic beyond her normal abilities.

Her eyes widened in surprise as the contents on the floor began to swirl in a clockwise pattern. Her mentor stood across from her, muttering some incantations under his breath as they gazed into puddle of liquid. After a few moments, the substance became smooth and reflective like polished glass. Taking a few steps forward, she took a closer look at the liquid. It was as if she were staring into a small window, only the place that it led certainly wasn't any place that she had been inside the tower. She opened her mouth to ask a question, but suppressed the notion as he began to speak.

"Instant portal…" Doctor Fate replied instinctively, having expected her to ask what he had done. "A simple potion combined with a quick incantation creates this affect. The only disadvantage is that it is a one way trip, but you can use your teleportation spell to return when you are finished."

The young sorceress gave him an understanding nod a she took a few steps forward. She stepped into the strange substance, but felt nothing strange about it. Sighing in exasperation, she was about to tell him that his spell hadn't worked, but before she could speak, she was pulled through the portal as if invisible hands had seized her ankles. She fell through a swirling tunnel of colors, her body felt as if she was being spun around like a top, but she ignored the sensation that began to form in the pit of her stomach.

As quickly as it had started, the sensation died away. The vortex had dropped her in a strange place that she could not recognize. Staggering slightly, she felt a little bit dizzy after using the transportation spell, but she couldn't have teleported here by herself because she had never been here before. Shaking off the dazed feeling, the young sorceress continued onwards into the dingy shop in front of her.

Upon entering the store, the scent of burning incense enveloped her senses. Ignoring the smell, she began to observe her surroundings. The shop was definitely an older building, and from the looks of the place, the owner didn't get too many customers. The wooden shelves against the wall were filled with many old potion bottles, all of which were covered with a thin layer of dust. As she continued walking towards the counter, a few more things began to catch her sight. A large skull stood a few feet away from her, emitting a red glow from its eye-sockets, and a large table filled with exotic antiques stood on the other end of the room.

Approaching the counter she could hear voices coming from the back room. Although Raven was never the kind of person to be intentionally rude to strangers, something about the conversation had caught her attention. She had a feeling that these people did not want to be heard, but remedied the situation quickly. Muttering a few incantations under her breath, she turned herself invisible, standing a few inches from the door so she could hear what was going on in the room beyond.

"I told you that I don't have any Chimera scale." The voice of an old man replied, a hint of fear present in his voice. "I sold the last of it a few days ago."

"You lie…" a more feminine voice replied, only this second voice sounded completely calm. "It is a simple task for you to hand over the items that I seek."

"I don't have any phoenix feathers either." The first voice retorted. "I sold the last of it to that Klarion brat a few weeks ago."

"I was hoping to avoid any violent transactions…" she replied, sounding slightly bored by the situation. "You leave me no choice… I will simply have to take what I seek…"

"W-wait…" he stammered, his voice beginning to quiver. "I… I have some more rare ingredients in my private stores."

The sound of someone being pushed onto the floor, followed by the old man's groan of pain could be heard. After a few moments, Raven could hear the slamming of a cabinet door, and the sound of someone rummaging through it. She bolted behind one of the nearby shelves as a set of footsteps grew nearer to the door.

"I thank you…" the woman replied, tossing a sack of gold onto the ground. Crossing the room, she thrust open the wooden door, the ingredients clutched in her outstretched hand. Staring around the room, she placed the two ingredients into her robes. She had been focused on her mission a few moments ago, but now that she was not distracted, it felt as if she could sense someone watching her movements.

"Who's there…" Morgaine Le Fey called out, staring around the room. The eyeholes in her mask began to glow with an eerie light, which probed the room like the lights from a prison tower. "If you are not an enemy… you have no need to hide." She said, attempting to find out who was watching her from the darkness.

Raven sunk lower against the side of the bookshelf, a cold bead of sweat sliding down the side of her forehead.

The masked sorceress let out a small sigh of annoyance. "Fine…" she replied nonchalantly, giving a casual flick if her wrist.

In a matter of seconds, the wooden shelf exploded like a bomb, sending spell books flying in all different directions. Raven kept her invisibility spell active, but it didn't seem to be helping the situation.

"Don't bother." The witch replied. "Such weak magic cannot prevent me from seeing you…"

Raven deactivated the invisibility spell, attempting to teleport back to Doctor Fate's Tower, but no matter how hard she focused, the magic wouldn't work. Scowling in anger, she realized that she realized that the masked witch was moving closer to her. It appeared from this situation that she had no other choice at this point but to fight.

"You must be Morgaine Le Fey…" Raven asked in a casual tone. "I've heard of you in stories…"

"Flattering… but I'm afraid that you have something that I need." Morgaine replied, raising her hands in front of her. Her fingers let off an unnatural glow before releasing a concentrated blast of magical energy at the young sorceress.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven shouted, creating a large barrier out of her dark energy.

The blast of her opponent's spell collided with her shield, and for a second it seemed to block the impact. After a few moments, the spell expanded around her barrier like a magical veil. The masked sorceress clenched one of her hands into a fist, increasing the amount of magical energy that she was able to unleash. The wall of magic pushed inwards around her opponent's barrier, shattering it like cheap glass. Seizing her chance, Morgaine followed up with consecutive magic blasts.

The younger sorceress used her physical skills in combination with her magical abilities, flipping sideways to avoid the multiple blasts. She leapt behind a table, which provided shelter for a matter of seconds before her opponent's spell shattered it to splinters.

"What in blazes I going on!" the shop owner bellowed, stepping into the main room. Catching sight of the magical duel going on before his eyes, the old man placed his hands over his head in a protective fashion, dashing back into the back room and closing the door behind him.

"Paraliso Integrid." Raven bellowed, leaping from her hiding place and blasting multiple paralysis spells at her adversary.

The dark sorceress vanished with a swish of her elaborate robes, reappearing in back of Raven. "Relis Ortum Magi…" she muttered, sending a wave of blue sparks at the younger spell caster.

Raven had sensed her opponent's presence at the last second, and had slid through a swirling vortex of dark magic to escape the attack, reappearing across the room. Thinking quickly, she decided to try a new spell that she had recently mastered. "Contani Incarceri!" she shouted, sending out wave of magical energy.

The beams of light spun in complicated patterns, surrounding her opponent like malevolent snakes preparing to kill their prey. As it came into contact with Morgaine's body, the streamers of golden light took the form of glowing chains, which wound themselves around her figure, binding her like a prisoner.

"Impressive…" the masked witch commented, her tone giving Raven the impression that she was thoroughly amused. "To have mastered such a spell at your age is impressive… but you forget that I have had centuries of practice…"

Morgaine Le Fey's eyes gave off a brilliant golden light, which illuminated the area around her body. In a matter of seconds, the magical chains unwound themselves and turned on Raven.

"WHAT!" the young sorceress shouted, her eyes widening in shock. She blasted the chains with her own spells in an attempt to stop them from harming her, but she could not undo the level of magic that her opponent had used to manipulate her own spell and turn it against her. The golden chains bound her arms and legs, rendering her unable to move, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't break the spell.

The masked sorceress took a few steps forward, her facial expressions concealed by the golden mask, which she always wore over her face. "You have lost… and now I will take the last piece of the puzzle… the darkness of your soul."

Raven tried to mouth a few words, but she was in shock from what her adversary had just said. After a few moments, she recovered. "Slade put you up to this… didn't he?" she asked, an intense hatred coursing through her body.

The older spell caster did nothing to confirm or deny this statement, and instead chose to ignore the question. "It matters not…" she replied, muttering another incantation.

A crystal ball materialized into her outstretched hand, glowing with a strange red light. "This will be the instrument of your defeat." Holding up the talisman, she began to chant an eerie spell, the likes of which Raven had never heard before. She was unable to move, but could only watch in horror as a large demonic hand slowly phased out of the surface of the crystal ball.

The appendage reached forward, phasing through her body. Fighting the will to scream, she could feel an uncomfortable and highly painful sensation in her chest. The ghostly hand appeared to be moving around inside of her as if it was searching for something. She let out a painful cry as the hand tore from her inside, holding what appeared to be herself, in its clutches. Although barely conscious, she could see clearly enough to discern the characteristics of the person caught by the spiritual hand. It was her… only the person wore a red cloak and had four glowing red eyes. She watched in horror as her dark side was drawn into the crystal ball.

"What… what did you... do?" Raven managed to choke out over the horrible pain that coursed through her being.

"I was just taking what I need for a spell, but perhaps it would be a better idea if I silence you forever…" she replied, beginning the incantation again. She attempted the remove the rest of Raven's soul, but was caught off guard by a blast of hellfire.

"Think again witch!" a voice bellowed. Standing framed in the doorway was the demon Etrigan.

Morgaine vanished again, appearing a few yards left of the burned spot that she had been standing in moments earlier. The second blast struck the binds holding Raven, shattering the chains and causing her limp form to topple onto the wooden floor.

"You again. What a surprise…" she replied, sending a wave of magic at the demon.

Etrigan leapt sideways to avoid the attack, but was caught by the blast and smashed headfirst through the nearby wall.

"Repel the beast… Reveal the man… repent the demon Etrigan." She chanted, blasting him with another spell.

His body was lifted into the air by the force of the spell, thrashing and screaming in agony as his form began to change. After a few moments, his demonic form vanished, revealing the human form of Jason Blood.

"I've sealed you power…" she replied nonchalantly, floating forward to get a better look at him. "To think that Merlin granted you immortality as punishment, for allowing your love to overtake your better judgment."

Despite being powerless and weakened on the ground, the man shot her a defiant look. "Never again… I realized that day that my love for you was nothing more than sweet poison. I was pathetic."

"Indeed you were…" she replied.

Jason Blood let out a low grunt, a cocky smile on his face. "Go ahead and try… You know that I would have welcomed death years ago if I could die."

The masked sorceress turned her back to him. "You are not my concern… I have no interest in you at the moment."

As she looked up to finish what she had started, she found that the Raven had escaped while she was dealing with the demon. "Do not bother trying to escape with magic… it will not work as long as my spell remains." She called out, carefully observing her surroundings as she spoke.

Spinning around on the spot, the masked sorceress spotted Raven, but she was not alone. Doctor Fate stood a few yards away, holding Raven's limp form in his arms. Shining Knight had come with him, and now stood protectively in front of them.

"Attacking a helpless opponent… Have you no shame?" the knight replied, drawing his magic sword in a defensive manner. "I should have known that only you could have been behind such a ruthless attack."

"More old friends…" she muttered, sending a small blast of magic at the ancient warrior. The knight swung his bode forward, staving off the attack with the end of his blade.

"I see Merlin's sword still works…" Morgaine commented, staring around at her opposition. The sealing spell she had placed hadn't lasted long, and Etrigan was standing again, and the Shining Knight and Doctor Fate were present as well. While she could probably fight them, she concluded that it would be best idea to avoid the possibility of reinforcements arriving.

"I have already obtained what I came her for, so with that I take my leave…" she replied, giving them a mocking bow before disappearing a flash of light.

Doctor Fate lifted Raven's body over his shoulder. "We shall return to my home… and you two may go wherever you wish." He replied, transporting himself back to the tower.

Etrigan let out a low grunt of annoyance before transforming back into Jason Blood. "May I have a ride." He asked, glancing at the knight's winged horsed outside the shop.

"If you wish it…" the warrior replied, whistling to his horse. The beast approached them, bowing its head in reverence to its master. Shining Knight gave his horse a shadow of a smile, and began to stroke its head. Glancing at his accomplice, the two of them mounted the flying steed, and took off into the sky, both of them heading back towards the Watchtower.

NOTE TO READERS: Whew… took me a while to find the motivation and the inspiration necessary to finish this chapter. I hope everyone who read it enjoyed it, and I hope that all of you who can review will contribute.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32: A Shattered Soul**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters or logos.

Doctor Fate stood in his medical wing of the Watchtower, observing the unconscious form of the young sorceress that had been left in his care. Raven had been out cold for the last few hours, but something about this whole situation hadn't' felt right from the start. It was true that Morgaine Le Fey was a powerful sorceress, but he had a strange feeling that even her magic wasn't powerful enough to rip a human soul from its shell.

Despite what the masked witch had said to them, he could still sense the presence of Raven's soul within her vessel… yet something about her was vastly different than before. Her magical aura had always radiated a sense of negative energy, but for some reason he could no longer sense the instilled chaos magic that her father had passed onto her at birth.

The wizard stood in silence for several moments before a brilliant idea finally came to him. It was possible for him to investigate the situation firsthand, but the last time he had tried to probe her mind, he had been attacked by her mental defenses. Despite his own powers, the attempt had left him with minor injuries. Had it not been for his own prodigious magical abilities, he may not have survived the internal encounter with Trigon inside Raven's mind.

He survived by using a relatively simple spell to seal the weakened evil back into the recesses of her thoughts, but there really was no natural way to eliminate Trigon's influence from her body. Despite the fact that the demon had died four years ago, his power lived on inside of Raven, but there was a crucial difference from the way things were before his fall. Without her father, the young sorceress had reached full mastery of powers, and had complete control over her abilities, all because she was no longer tethered to the fate that had befallen her surrounding the circumstances of her birth.

As these thoughts floated through his mind, the renowned mystic smiled behind his helmet. Raven was a young sorceress, yet she had battle many evils in her life for someone of her age. There were times that he pitied his student, but these moments were usually very brief and did nothing to linger in his mind. She was a capable magician, and he had seen great potential in her from the moment they were introduced. Raven had talent, courage, dedication, and the desire to preserver, and in the end it were those very qualities that had convinced him to take her own as a student. If she continued to hone her magical abilities, she would probably become an even greater mage than him.

Remembering the situation at hand, Doctor Fate decided to use a much more simple method of probing her mind. If the darkness truly left her body, than he would have no trouble seeing her thoughts without having to resort to the dangerous and risky practice of astral projection. Extending his hand, the wizard placed a pair of fingers on the jewel on her forehead, muttering a few quick incantations under his breath as he began to concentrate.

As he completed the spell, brilliant light burst from the end of his fingers, enveloping her entire head for a few moments. The light opened a window in his own mind, allowing him to view the contents of her mind as if he were watching television, but even he had not expected what happened next.

The wizard allowed a small gasp of surprise to escape his breath as a strange scene unfolded before his very eyes. The dimension within her mind was drastically different from what he had remembered during his last journey. While a long stone pathway still connected the various dimensions within her mind, the rest of the surroundings were completely different. The sinister crows that once guarded the inner sanctum of her thoughts had vanished, and the blood red sky had become a deep blue, reminiscent of the color of her favorite cloak.

Glancing even farther into the depths of her mind, the wizard began a much more thorough search to confirm what he had seen at the magic shop. It took some concentration, but he slowly began to search the different chambers of her soul, searching for what was, or what was not there. He wandered through her mind for what seemed like hours, encountering many of her inner emotions. They were still present, but there was one portion that he could not find… The evil and rage that had once enveloped her being no longer existed within her mind, and so far he had seen no trace of any such entity.

Concentrating his magical energy, the magician released his spell, pulling his own subconscious out of her mind. He had found out what he had needed to learn, but for some reason he was not sure what to think about the entire situation. Perhaps it had been an invasion of her privacy, but he was a man of morals and would never have used his magic to harm her mind, or invade anything private that she may have wanted to hide from prying eyes. Nevertheless, the fact remained that the masked sorceress had done a terrible thing to his young student, but nothing compared to what had happened during the course of that mission.

It was as if Morgaine Le Fey had completely removed an entire portion of her soul, and that was something that only ancient magic could have effectively done. While it was possible to capture ghosts and spirits without a proper vessel, taking a small fraction of a human soul from its shell was an extremely advanced form of sorcery… and probably one of the most dangerous things to do. At the least the witch had performed the spell correctly, and had left the rest of her soul untarnished, but losing an entire part of your personality could be dangerous, and she was lucky that she had not lost her sanity because of it. Raven was in for a lot of pain when she finally awoke from her unconscious state, but at least it had not been fatal. They could only hope that the removal of her inner darkness had not permanently damaged her magical aura.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, a slamming noise ruined his pattern of thought. Beast Boy burst through the doors of the infirmary, beads of sweat clinging to his forehead as he came to a halt by the side of Raven's bed. Cyborg and Starfire were not far behind him, the latter having picked him up and carried him through the air like a package. The trio of young heroes wore grim expressions as they came to an abrupt halt inches from Raven's bed.

Of the three former Titans, Beast Boy appeared to be the most exhausted. His green complexion had a red tinge from running, and the large beads of sweat that had formed on his face were rolling down the sides of his head. In fact, the green-skinned hero appeared as if he had just run a marathon through Metropolis.

"Hey Doc, Is she gonna be all right?" the changeling asked through shallow breaths, an imploring look lingering in his eyes.

The wizard turned his head towards the three new visitors, looking quite relieved himself. "Indeed… She has suffered great injury, but I can assure you that it was nothing fatal."

"That's not what Jason Blood told us." Cyborg cut in, his fists turning white as he clenched his fingers against the palms of his hands. " I heard him talking to Shining Knight, and they said that Raven lost her soul."

"Please, there must be something that we can do!" Starfire exclaimed, grabbing the magician by his shoulders and shaking him as she spoke. "She is our friend, surely you can help her."

Doctor Fate gave them an understanding nod as he gently pried the Tamaranean's hands off of his shoulders. His eyes focused on each one of them in turn as he attempted to find the best way to answer the question without worrying the younger heroes. "Do not worry yourselves…" He replied, folding his hands in front of him as he spoke. "The situation is not nearly as grave as you have apparently heard."

"ARE YOU NUTS?" Beast Boy shouted, his eyes widening in shock. "Our friend just lost her soul and that's all you have to say about it! I don't know about you, but I think that this entire situation is messed up, and we need to help her right now."

"Youth and ignorance." the magician replied, giving Beast Boy a disapproving look. "Morgaine Le Fey is a powerful sorceress, but she did not remove all of Raven's soul. She only took a small fraction, and your friend is still very much alive."

The green changeling looked surprised for a moment, but decided to inquire further. "So… you're saying that a human can survive with a piece of their soul missing."

"It may change a person, but the concept is entirely possible." He replied, glancing at Raven's unconscious form for a few seconds before turning his attention back to the former Titans. He could tell what the young heroes were thinking just by looking at their startled expressions. "You wish to know how this will affect you friend?" he asked.

Beast Boy let out a strangled coughing noise in response to this question. He was surprised that Doctor Fate had known what he was going to ask before he had even said anything, and from the expressions that Starfire and Cyborg wore, he could tell that they were thinking the same thing.

The wizard shook his head respectfully, his expression remaining awkward and unsure behind his golden helmet. He stared at their expectant faces for a few moments, before speaking. "I do not know what the effect on her will be, but I do know that Morgaine Le Fey stole the wrathful part of Raven's soul, which had bound her to her father. Since Trigon is already gone, I assume that she will not be as affected by the change, but the separation of a soul fragment is still an extremely painful experience, and it will probably be several days before she can go out on missions."

Starfire sat down beside Raven's bed, her expression grim and saddened. "What care we to do?" she asked, staring imploringly at the magician.

"Yeah..." Cyborg added. "There's got to be some way for us to get her soul back. Even if it was her darker side, it's still a part of her."

Doctor Fate stood up from his chair near Raven's bed, looking back at the young hero. "While it is possible, I am sure that you must find it first."

"You're a wizard, can't you use some sort of hocus pocus to find her." Beast Boy chimed in, his expression filled with childlike hope.

"We were originally going to use a locator spell to find Morgaine Le Fey, but we were unable to obtain the last ingredient for the potion."

Beast Boy's expression soured. "Just go to the store and get some more stuff."

"The man that carries it is currently unable to supply me with the ingredient after the destruction of his shop. I must work to obtain it, and that could take some time." He replied, heading for the door. "I will do what I can, but magic is a far more complicated process than most people can comprehend. Even those of us who are gifted with its power must train and study for years to obtain full mastery over our abilities." He said, disappearing in a flash of light.

The green changeling backed down. His expression became unreadable as he sunk into a nearby chair. Cyborg and Starfire followed his example, taking seats on the opposite side of the small hospital room.

"So… what are we to do now?" Starfire asked, turning to her friends for the answer.

Cyborg folded his hands in front of his face, looking slightly depressed by the grim situation. "I don't really know, but maybe we should just wait for now. We'll see what happens when Rae wakes up."

Beast Boy nodded in agreement as he shifted his attention back to the unconscious girl in front of him. It was a terrible thing to be unable to help a friend… the kind of feeling that engulfs anyone who finds themselves in such a situation. All that they could do now was hope that she was able to pull through without any serious complications.

Several hours passed in silence as the three Titans sat around her bed like lonely guards. They rarely spoke during this time, and none of them appeared to have anything important to say to each other. Starfire would occasionally float a few inches above the floor, but the others did not respond to her impatience. The young Tamaranean was never the kind of person to sit and do nothing while a friend was in danger, but even she knew that there was nothing that any of them could do at the moment.

After another hour passed, Cyborg glanced at his watch. He had begun to realize how long that they had been waiting. "Well… I guess it's time that we got back to work." The hero replied, taking a glance at his watch as he spoke.

The other two heroes rose to follow him, but as they turned to exit the infirmary, a faint groaning noise caught their attention. The three heroes spun around on the spot, observing Raven's limp form on the hospital bed. After a few moments, her eyelids fluttered open, a look of innocent surprise on her face.

The young sorceress forced herself into an upright position against the pillow, her right hand gently rubbing her the side of her head. Stretching her body, she let out a second groan, gently rubbing the weariness from her eyes with her hands. Raven searched her mind for a few seconds, assembling the proper information that would probably give her an answer as to why she was here. The memories came rushing back to her all at once, the previous battle becoming vivid in her mind. Shaking the thoughts aside, she lifted her head and spotted her friends who appeared as if they were about to leave.

"What are you guys doing here? What's going on?" she asked, sending the three Titans a rather appraising look.

Beast Boy strode across the small room, taking the seat closest to her bed. "Hey Rae, glad to see that you're awake. You were beaten pretty badly a little while ago. Doc Fate brought you here to see if he could help you."

Raven let out a depressed sigh as she thought of the fight. While she hated to admit it, Morgaine Le Fey was far more powerful than she had originally anticipated. She attempted to let go of the incident, but a stabbing pain in her chest pulsed as she began to replay the battle in her mind. More memories came rushing back to her, forcing their way through her being like a knife through a salted wound.

The last thing that she had remembered was the feeling of excruciating pain, the likes of which she had never experienced before. Then she saw herself… as if she were being pulled into that strange crystal ball that the masked sorceress had brought with her. The person she saw was herself, but yet she was lying here right now. This was becoming more confusing by the second, and the more that she thought about the battle, the more pain coursed through her body.

Raven winced in pain, unable to hold back the terrible feeling that dwelled within her body. It felt as though something vital had been torn from her flesh, and she only hoped that what she remembered happening had been the witch's illusion. It wasn't possible that someone could have done it… no… it just couldn't be true.

The green hero seized Raven's shoulders to stop her violent shaking. A terrified look in her pleading eyes told the surrounding heroes how serious the situation was. "Is there something wrong? Tell us." He demanded, looking around the room for support.

Cyborg gave his head a small nod as he continued to stare down at his friends, but Starfire simply looked aghast at Raven's moans of pain.

"What h-h-happened to me?" the young sorceress choked out, her teeth firmly grinding against each other to stifle her cries of pain.

The three heroes exchanged frightened expressions, each of them looking vastly worried about the whole situation.

Starfire nodded in response, looking solemn as she folded her hands. "Perhaps we should explain." She said, turning to Beast Boy for support.

The changeling returned her expression, his face contorted with a strange emotion. It looked as if he were struggling with words that just refused to come out. After a few moments passed, the green-skinned hero cleared his throat to assert himself. Either way, the truth would have to come out one way or another.

"I guess we have to be the ones to tell you…" he replied, his lip trembling slightly as he considered the thought. "You… you… well… you see." He stammered, the hesitation in his mind struggling with his desire to say what needed to be said.

"Spit it out!" Raven spat, her body coursing with another wave of pain. 'What's going on?"

"You… you… lost a piece of your soul." He forced out, his green complexion becoming slightly paler as he said it.

Raven's reaction was surprisingly calm for what they had expected. She had already anticipated this, but was reluctant to accept the notion until she was sure.

"How do you know?" she asked, a slight note of hesitation in her voice.

"The Doctor Fate and a select few others have previously informed us of your status, but we have also been told that what has happened is not fatal." Starfire answered, looking down towards the floor as she spoke.

"I see…" Raven replied, looking up at the faces of her teammates. While they looked thrilled to see that she would be fine, she could see a sense of worry in their eyes.

Cyborg stood up from his seat, a look of understanding on his face. "Calm down Rae, we'll all get through this."

"Thanks…" she replied, staring at her lap for a moment. "Are you going somewhere?"

The metallic hero nodded, his expression bored and slightly tired. "Sorry that I'm not staying, but I have monitor duty in a few minutes, and then I think I'll get home and get some rest."

Beast Boy nodded. "Go ahead… we got this end covered." He said, giving Cyborg a reassuring smile.

Cyborg returned his friend's smile with a gentle wave, giving Raven one more glance as he left the room.

THE MAIN CONTROL ROOM 

J'onn J'onzz sat in the main control room, his eyes fixated on the nearby monitor. It had been a long day, and even a Martian needed some rest once in a while. He had heard the grievous news concerning Raven, and if that wasn't enough to dampen his spirits, he had also received word from Doctor Fate that Morgaine Le Fey was after something again. So far this had not been one of his better days.

"Status report…" the Martian commanded, turning to Mr. Terrific.

"No problem." He replied, remembering where he had left the paperwork.

The man reached over to the nearby table, picking up the clipboard and placing it in front of him. Noticing that the Martian was watching him, he began to sort through he papers at a fast rate, his fingers sliding through the forms as he searched. After a minute, the hero pulled out a series of papers from the clipboard, placing the remaining papers on the table.

"All right then… There were minimal casualties during the fight against Deathstroke's robots on Earth, and we didn't lose anyone during the ordeal in the field and onboard the Watchtower."

The Martian gave him a small nod, looking satisfied with the information. "What about the system damage?"

"According to Steel's latest report, the security grid is fully operational, and all damage caused by Plastique has been repaired." He replied.

"And the villains that were unable to escape with Deathstroke's retreating forces."

Mr. Terrific flipped to the next page, his eyes quickly scanning the contents. "We captured quite a few of them, but not as many as we could have hoped. It seems that Slade knew what he was doing, and had planned the attack on the Watchtower beforehand."

"Give me the details." The Martian asked, leaning forward slightly as he spoke.

"Riddler and the Ventriloquist are currently back in Arkham, and Bane was sent back to Stonegate Prison. A robot named Atlas was also captured during the fight, and was taken apart and deactivated by Steel. Plastique, Cinderblock, Johnny Rancid, Turtleman, Mumbo Jumbo, and Deadshot, were all sent to prison, and we were also able to capture about thirty of Deathstroke's henchmen. All of them were turned over to the authorities, and are currently in custody."

"Very good…" the Martian replied, shaking his head with assurance. "Has anyone been able to find any leads concerning the whereabouts of Deathstroke's Headquarters? I have already attempted to interrogate the villains that we were able to capture, but I cannot effectively read their minds."

"You don't think that Slade is using the same strategy that Gorilla Grodd used when we tried to question his affiliates?"

"It is a possibility." The alien stated, his fist clenching slightly at the thought. "While I am still uncertain, we must be prepared for what the future may hold."

"Then perhaps we should take the fight to them." Green Arrow interjected in a blunt fashion. While the left-handed archer had been standing directly across the room, he had been listening in on their discussion, and had heard the entire conversation.

"We can't find anything at all." Mr. Terrific replied, shaking his head in a defeated manner as he spoke. "Even Batman wasn't able to dig up any clues, and he's been forcing information out of every underworld connection that we've been able to find… I hate to say it, but I think that Deathstroke covered all of his tracks this time."

The green-clad hero shrugged off the last comment, his serious facial expression softening as he began to ponder the situation more closely. "So then what's our next plan?" he said, turning to the Martian for an answer.

J'onn J'onzz shook his head in a clam manner, his eyes focusing in on the nearest computer monitor. After a few moments of silence, the Martian turned to face his fellow heroes, all of which had been staring at him in an expectant fashion. "I shall have to discuss this matter with the other founding members." He replied, earning a nod from the two heroes standing behind him. "At the moment I would have to agree with Mr. Terrific… we are currently beginning to run out of options, and it would be wise if we were to devise a new plan."

"Best idea I've heard all night." The archer responded, earning an approving nod from Mr. Terrific.

**IN JUMP CITY**

It had been several nights since his first day in Jump City, and he hadn't been able to find much of anything that would lead him in the right direction. Apparently Slade was excellent at covering his tracks, and no one in this entire area had seen anything suspicious. It was true that crime had taken a serious turn around in the last four years, but he hadn't seen much of anything since his arrival. No bank robberies, no illegal smuggling, not even a lousy police bust on the side of the road. Even the most uneducated person would have to admit that things around Jump City were quiet these days… a little too quiet.

The more that he thought about the situation, the more that it unnerved him. He had spent the night leaping from rooftops, and the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon. Having finished his patrol for the night, Dick Grayson returned to the T-shaped structure overlooking the city from its spot on the small island of the coast of the harbor. It felt strange now that he had taken up residence in this place again, even though it was a temporary residence. After spending so many years away from this place, he had found himself back where the team had formed.

Shifting his attention to the towering structure in front of him, the former boy wonder couldn't help but notice that something was wrong. The light was on in one of the tower's major chambers, and he could have sworn that he had left the lights off. Launching his grappling hook, Nightwing swung though the nearby window, landing in one of the third story rooms. From the looks of his surroundings, he was inside Raven's room.

The living space was clearly unchanged since her residence in Titan's Tower. While the numerous spell books that had once filled the shelves of her room had been taken with her, she had left behind a few articles of clothing in the closet, as well as her furniture. From the looks of the floor, Cyborg had been keeping up with the cleaning.

Exiting through the door, the hero entered another hallway. While the passage was poorly lit, a small light shown forth from the farthest door, signifying that someone was probably in there. It was probably nothing to worry about, but the young vigilante couldn't help but draw one of his birdarangs just in case.

Poking his head through the doorway, Nightwing caught sight of Cyborg, diligently typing away at one of the tower's main computers.

The half-robot hero spun around in his chair, his expression a combination of amusement and boredom. "You're slipping up." He replied, pointing to a recording on the monitor. "The camera caught you breaking in to the tower… Why not just phone me and ask me to open the door for you next time."

Dick Grayson relaxed his shoulders for a few moments, giving his old friend a shadow of a smile as he settled himself into a nearby chair. "No need… I didn't think it was anything, but I was just making sure that you weren't an intruder."

Cyborg let out a hearty laugh, giving his old friend a hard slap on the shoulder. "Me… an intruder. I came back after a few days of League business, only to find out from the tower security tapes that you ate that sandwich that I left in the fridge for lunch."

"Whatever…" Nightwing replied. "So… how are the others doing?" As soon as he said this, the joy had died from the robotic hero's face.

"Bad news." He asked, staring up at his old friend.

Cyborg gave him an uneasy shrug, his expression unreadable. "Raven had a nasty run in with some freak named Morgaine Le Fey last night."

"I see…" the young vigilante replied. While Nightwing was normally a very calm person, even he was slightly unnerved by the idea of Raven encountering such a powerful. Even though he had never seen the masked sorceress face-to-face, he had heard terrible stories from Batman. Apparently the old witch was considered to be one of the most powerful magicians of all time, but that was only part of it. She also possessed the ability to drain the life force out of her victims, thereby taking their youth for herself. Considering all of the possibilities, he had a shrewd suspicion that there was a lot more to the story.

The former boy wonder gave Cyborg a slightly impatient look. "What happened to Raven?"

While he had just been asked a question, there really didn't feel as if there was a proper way to respond. They had seen a lot of weird things over the years, but what had happened mere hours ago was definitely a new experience for everyone.

Several moments passed without a word from either of them, but the half-metal hero noted the wall of silence that had halted the conversation, and decided to break it. He knew that there was no denying what had happened, even though there appeared to be nothing wrong yet.

"I don't really understand exactly what's going on…" he admitted, scratching the back of his head in an awkward fashion as he spoke. "I hate to say it, but I heard some really bad news from Doctor Fate concerning Raven."

The hero leaned forward slightly at these words. "Well… just tell me already!"

Cyborg raised an eyebrow in surprise but made no comment in response to the sudden outburst. "He said that Morgaine Le Fey tore out a piece of her soul."

Dick Grayson's mouth fell open slightly as he heard this piece of information. "C'mon… be serious. Is that even possible?"

"It is when you're a centuries old evil witch with an agenda and mad skills." He replied, sounding slightly annoyed by his friend's response. "After all the magic that we've seen, it shouldn't be that hard to believe."

"Yeah… I'd have to agree with you there. I don't know much about magic, but I doubt that a simple spell would have sufficed. Judging by this, I have a feeling that Le Fey's power is unlike anything that we've ever seen before." Nightwing commented as he rose from his seat. "What can you tell me about Raven's condition so far?"

The robotic hero gave him a defeated shrug, his expression softening as he sank further back into his chair. "To be honest, I don't really know. Doctor Fate told us what happened. He said that Morgaine Le Fey tore out the part of her soul that corresponded with Trigon's powers."

Nightwing's eyes widened slightly at the thought. "Her rage…" he muttered, the memories of her merciless attack on a distressed Doctor Light, resurfaced in his mind. Her rage was so strong, that when she became influenced by the darkness, she would do terrible things. She might have driven the poor villain into madness that time if they hadn't been able to snap her out of it. Despite the facts, one thing didn't seem to make sense… Trigon was dead, so why would anyone be concerned with Raven's dark personality? Shifting the thought aside, he decided to worry about that later. There were more important things to worry about for the moment.

"So, what can we do now?" he asked, turning to Cyborg for an answer.

The metallic hero let out a small sigh. "Beast Boy and Starfire are probably still back at the Watchtower visiting Raven. She was all right when I left, but I think that the shock of losing a piece of herself had really shaken her up."

"I see…" Nightwing replied, returning this statement with a curt nod.

While his facial expression was unreadable, Cyborg could see that the young vigilante was just as worried as the rest of them were. "Maybe you should go visit them…" he asked, folding his hands in front of him as he spoke.

Dick Grayson turned his back to his old friend for a few seconds before speaking again. "I have to do something… something important." He stated in an icy tone, a powerful hatred radiating off of his figure. "Slade has done enough damage… he has to be stopped."

Cyborg felt as if he had been silenced by Nightwing's cold presence. Slade was the only villain that could ever bring out this side of him, and even he found the idea frightening. His old friend was never the kind of man who wanted to kill his enemies, but Deathstroke was a terrifying man with prodigious combat skills, who felt absolutely no qualms about killing his enemies. Perhaps it was this very aspect of the madman that pushed Dick Grayson's temper even farther than he had ever seen. After a few seconds, Cyborg bowed his head in defeat, returning his friend's words with a small nod.

Nightwing swept towards the open window, the cold night breeze pushing a strand of long black hair away from his face. "Thanks for the information." he said, glancing back at Cyborg. "Tell the others that I won't be back for some time."

"Take care…" Cyborg replied, a small grin appearing on the metallic hero's face. "If anything happens, Starfire is probably going to kill you."

The young hero flashed his old friend a look of amusement as he reached into his utility belt. In a matter of seconds, he had launched his grappling hook onto the nearest building and disappeared into the darkness of the night. He was going to find the Secret Society and stop their plans… no matter what the cost.

NOTE TO READERS: Yes, I know that it's been awhile, but I had a lack of motivation for a while, and other things to worry about on top of that. I'm back now, and I hope that any readers who like my story will still continue to read it and enjoy it. I also hope that some of you will consent to review my writing as well. I am sort of running out of ideas, but I have been thinking about showing some characters which were previously ignored, such as the Doom Patrol and Black Canary.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33: Aftermath **

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters or logos.

Dick Grayson had been searching all night for clue concerning the Secret Society, but unfortunately for him, he wasn't having much better luck than the rest of the Justice League was at the moment. If the Martian was right about one thing, it was that Slade had done an excellent job covering his tracks, and even the most skilled vigilantes weren't able to find many leads on the Legion of Doom.

He had a run-in with some thugs that had been in league with the Joker awhile back, but they hadn't yielded anything that he hadn't already known. He had also stopped Captain Cold from robbing a fleet of armored cars a few days ago, but before he could capture the villain for interrogation, Warp pulled him to safety using his vortex device. Regardless of this, Nightwing was never the kind of person to give up on a mission. He was a hero, and a true hero never gave up on anything important until they were able to see it through to the end. That was one thing about Batman that he still respected, and had always respected as long as he knew him.

Leaping from another rooftop, the hero opened his flying winged cape and floated a few seconds before touching down on another building. Crouching down like a bird, the young vigilante hid himself in the shadows of a larger building to prevent anyone from sighting him. Reaching into his utility belt, Nightwing pulled out a pair of binoculars and used the night-vision setting to observe the surrounding area for any signs of suspicion. After a few minutes of his silent vigil, he decided to put the instrument away.

Nightwing was seriously beginning to wonder whether or not there was anyone out there that could give him some information, but he hastily shifted the thought aside. He knew that there was nothing to be gained by doubting his own resolve right now. There must have been something that he hadn't thought of yet… he just had to think harder.

It took him a few minutes of going through the facts in his mind, but there was one connection to Slade that he had not tried yet, and he had just remembered something that could help him with it. Starfire had recently gone to the Iceberg Lounge with Raven and Barbara, and had seen Roulette. If that witch was making shady deals in the club, than maybe Penguin knew where the next Meta Brawl was taking place. If he could find out that information, than maybe he could find Roulette and obtain some new leads on Slade's Secret Society.

"Gotcha…" he muttered to himself as he broke into a run. His pace quickened considerably as he headed towards the closest train station. Looks like he was headed back to Gotham City.

**WITH RAVEN**

Forcing her limp body from the confines of her hospital bed, Raven headed for the sink in the corner of the room. Despite her mental prowess, her body had experienced quite a shock from the forced removal of her dark soul. Wincing in pain, she couldn't help but clutch her chest as the ache coursed through her entire being. Raven was no stranger to pain… after all, she had to admit that she had always lived a difficult life, but in all her years as a hero she had never once allowed herself to show weakness.

As if on cue, another stab of pain struck her through the heart. The feeling flowed down through her body, forcing the young sorceress onto her knees. Clenching her teeth in anger, she silently began to curse herself for being so weak. Raven had always worked so hard to ignore all forms of pain, but this time it was particularly difficult. Doctor Fate had warned her that the recovery period would be rough, but even she had not expected the agony to last so long.

It took a few moments for her to regain her composure, but at least there wasn't anyone here to see her in this terrible state. There was no denying the facts this time. She felt weak… much weaker than she had ever felt before, and all because the darkness of her soul had been removed from her being. Yes there were times when she would have been happy to be free of her father's influence, but she had no idea how terrible it would feel to be forcibly separated from something that had been a part of her for so long.

Using the side of the bed as her support, Raven forced herself into a standing position. The tremors of excruciating pain came and went, but she couldn't deny the great sense of relief that she felt now that it was over. The pain had passed on for the moment, but a feeling of dread had begun to form in the back of her mind. She knew that it would be back.

Taking a few steps forward, the young sorceress brought herself over to the sink in her hospital room. Turning on the faucet, she placed her cupped hands under the icy stream, filling her sweaty palms with water. Bringing her pale hands up to her face, the young sorceress splashed some cold water on her face, rubbing the weariness from her eyes.

For the first time since her accident, Raven caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. Needless to say, she didn't quite look like herself. The royal blue cloak that usually hung from her shoulders had been taken off of her body during her stay in the Watchtower's medical facilities, and had been replaced by an inappropriately buttoned hospital gown. Scowling in annoyance, she fastened the back of her outfit. She made herself a mental note to find out which medic had been in charge of her care, but that was the least of her problems at the moment.

Observing her reflection more closely, she realized how terrible she looked. Her midnight blue hair, which she normally kept combed, was messy and unkempt, and her purple eyes were tired and bloodshot. Perhaps the accident had ravaged her body in more ways than one.

As she continued to observe herself in the mirror, a sudden knock on the door of her room diverted her attention. Shaking her head in annoyance, she headed towards the door, wrapping her fingers around the handle of the doorknob in a cautious manner. It wasn't as if she was expecting another attack on the Watchtower… but the young sorceress was in no mood to deal with any form of interrogation at moment. The members of the Justice League were suckers for detail, especially the Martian. Sighing in exasperation, Raven decided that she had no choice but to answer the door.

Before she could even react, Doctor Fate swept into the room, his yellow cloak billowing behind him like wings. The magician glanced down at her for a few seconds, his eyes focusing on her as if she had done something wrong.

Their eyes met for a few moments before either of them broke the veil of silence. "What?" she asked, as she stared up at his helmet-covered face.

The wizard nodded his head in response to her question, his eyes moving away from her at last. "It is as I feared…"

Raven glared at her mentor, something that she had rarely done since she had first begun to train under him. While she was eternally grateful the help and guidance that he had given her, she could not deny the annoyance that she felt toward him at the moment.

"That doesn't answer my question… Quit being so vague." She replied, her curiosity beginning to get the best of her.

"What I have learned recently is troubling, but I believed that it was best for me to inform you." Doctor Fate replied, looking down towards the floor.

Any ill feelings that she had previously held faded away as she heard these words, but they were quickly replaced by a twinge of fear. If he had come to her with grievous news, she was sure that it had to directly concern her own condition.

The renowned mystic turned his back to her for a few moments before speaking again, as if he were searching for the correct words. "I will explain in due time what I have discovered… but I believe that we should go someplace a little less crowded."

The young sorceress nodded in agreement as she reached for her blue cloak. The garment had become ragged from the fight with Morgaine Le Fey, but she felt more comfortable wearing it. The old cloth was something that she had worn for years, and it had become one of her defining characteristics, just as much as Superman's insignia was for him.

Without another word, the magician tore open a rift in the air with the side of his hand, the Egyptian symbol flashing briefly as the portal widened to the appropriate size. Motioning forward, he stepped through the strange vortex and was gone.

Raven glanced through the entry for a few moments, her eyes catching sight of what was beyond the rift. It only took her a moment to realize that the destination of the vortex was none other than her room in Doctor Fate's Tower. Without raising any objection, the young sorceress took a few steps forward into the mystic doorway, materializing seconds later in the chamber that her mentor had been so kind enough to let her use.

Glancing around the room, she was surprised to see that nothing had really changed since she had left. Maybe it was odd to have expected something like that to happen, but it felt strange that so much could have happened to her in such a short period of time. Looking up, she realized that the wizard appeared to be observing her, and quickly decided to cover up her lapse of thought.

"So… what did you need to tell me?" she asked, staring expectantly at her mentor.

Doctor Fate shook his head in a solemn manner, a surprising chill filling the cozy room as he did so. While he said nothing, his posture and his overall mannerisms suggested that what he was about to tell her was nothing good.

The young sorceress shot him an appraising stare as she tried to figure out was he was thinking.

The magician nodded slightly in response, his expression hidden by the Helmet of Fate, which he wore over his face. At long last, he decided to speak. "Could you use your powers to move that chair to the other side of the room?" he asked.

Raven didn't know whether or not he was joking, but decided that it was a better idea to play along for the time being. His request did not make much sense to her at the moment, but when she though about it, she knew that he probably had a good reason for humoring her like this. Her powers could probably move a building if she really wanted to, so why was he asking her to do some fung shui in her room.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos" she chanted, making a small gesture towards the large chair on the other side. She waited a few seconds, but for some reason, the chair did not move an inch. Shrugging off the incident, she decided to try moving the furniture again. Focusing harder on the object, she said her incantation even louder. After her fourth failed attempt to move the object, the young sorceress began to wonder why her powers were not responding to her command.

"What's going on?" she asked in a polite tone, a hint of frustration hidden behind her words.

The wizard nodded again, as if she had just confirmed what he was trying to prove. "I know this may be a bit of a shock to you, but perhaps you may have already noticed… The truth is… When Morgaine Le Fey removed the part of you that had shared the strongest connection with your inborn powers, that which Trigon gave to you at birth was removed."

Raven's eyes widened slightly as a fleeting realization began to dawn on her. While she hadn't sensed anything until he had mentioned it, she could no longer feel the strain of her dark magical aura, which usually encompassed her body.

The renowned mystic made a small gesture with his right hand, causing the chair that she had previously failed to move, to levitate toward her. It hovered a few inches away for a few seconds before flying forward into Raven's back, knocking her off of her feet. Her limp form collapsed into the chair, pushing her into a sitting position as the four legs settled onto the ground. "You have been freed of Trigon's influence…" he stated.

The young sorceress collapsed onto her knees as his words reached her ears, as she began to lose her focus. While the loss of her inbred powers was something that she had never considered, there were times in her life when she wished that she were free of her father's curse. Now that the remnants of their former bond had dissipated, she was unsure of how to react. A moment of relief swept through her body for a few moments as she considered what it would be like to be free at last, but her thoughts darkened as she began to analyze the situation more closely. If she truly had lost her powers… what good was she to anyone now?

Doctor Fate looked down on his student, a pitiable expression hidden by his helmet. Stretching out his arm, the magician offered his hand to the young sorceress.

Raven shook her head, getting off of the floor without his assistance. She stood a few feet away from the older spell caster, her expression softening. Feeling uneasy, she decided to break the silence. "What can I do now? What good am I to my friends… to the world… if I can't use my powers?" She asked. To be honest, the young sorceress had never felt so weak and helpless in her entire life.

The wizard raised his hand to silence her before he spoke again. "I know it must be different for you to be without your demon magic, but you are not powerless… While your demonic powers have diminished, your magic remains intact."

"What exactly do you mean by that?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at the thought. Having failed to use her spells moments earlier, she was beginning to wonder what he was talking about.

"You fail to see the full picture…" he replied nonchalantly, his gaze fixated on her like a teacher who was trying to explain something to a confused student. "Your demonic energy is gone… but your magical aura remains intact. It has not disappeared… it has simply been purified. The powers gifted to you by your father when you were born have vanished, but that does not necessarily mean that you are powerless. You have long developed powers of your own… and it is that very same power which still exists within your being. You need only look within yourself to see…" he finished.

The blue-clad sorceress lapsed into a brief state a meditation to see for herself if what he had told her was true. After a few moments, she broke the trance, allowing her mind to return to the physical plane of existence. It was not as powerful as before, but she could feel the faint pulsing of her own magical aura alongside Doctor Fate's considerably larger presence. It was a while before either of them spoke again.

"I… understand…" she said, their gazes meeting briefly.

Doctor Fate returned her answer with a small solemn nod as he continued to probe her magical aura with his own powers. "Very well then, but now that you understand the situation, you must also understand how much more important your training has become." She returned his statement by briefly bowing her head in a respectful gesture.

"The demonic powers passed onto you are no more, which means that from this point you must rely one your own strength rather than that of your father. The spells that I have taught you during your time as my student do not require demonic energy. You may continue to use them as you will, but I must remind you that it is these spells, which you must learn to rely on."

Raven nodded her head understandingly as he spoke.

The wizard looked down on her for a moment. Muttering a few incantations under his breath, a small portal opened a few feet to his left. He stepped towards to rift, thrusting his arm into the pocket dimension as if he were searching for something. After a few moments, he withdrew his arm from the rift, a large tome in his hand. "You must also work harder if you truly wish to defeat your enemies, which is why I have decided to give you this…" he replied, holding out the volume to her.

She reached forward, taking the large book from his grip. "Thank you… but what is it?" she asked, even though she recognized the tome as one of the books that she had skimmed during her free time in his library. The spells contained within it were extremely complex, boasting very long and cumbersome incantations, and requiring a lot of magical energy to perform. Needless to say, the spells in that book were all very difficult to use.

"That book is a more advanced spell book than the ones that I have currently assigned you to read from. I have confidence that you can master these spells. After all… you have already mastered one of them…"

"Yes…" was all she could manage say for the moment. The only spell from that book that she had been able to use was the magical binding spell that she had tried on Morgaine Le Fey, but her opponent was more powerful than she was, and easily countered the affects of her magical chains. Even though she could use that spell, it had taken her a lot of practice before she could use it affectively in battle.

This whole situation was becoming more difficult for her. Even when she became Doctor Fate's student, she had continued to rely on her chaos magic for most of her battles. Now… things were about to change. She had always hoped to delve deeper into other types of magic, but now she knew that there was little other choice in the matter. If she wanted to get back the missing piece of her soul, she had a lot of work ahead of her. Her opponent was a powerful witch with centuries of experience, and she was only a 21 year-old sorceress who relied greatly on her natural born magical abilities. This was going to be difficult…

It took her a few moments to regain her composure, but she worked to resume her emotionless façade. "I wish to return to the Watchtower…" she replied.

The wizard nodded in response. "Very well then… but you mustn't go on any missions. I have already told the Martian to remove you from the active roster for at least a week. You may go for now, but I strongly advise you to return soon if you wish to continue your training."

"I will…" she said before disappearing in a flash of light.

**WITH NIGHTWING**

Nightwing had arrived in Gotham City a few hours ago, and had finally reached his destination. Entering through the back window of the shady establishment, he began traveling the dingy hallways in the back of the club. He could see the door to Penguin's office ahead, the light streaming through the small space around the doorframe.

There were two guards outside, but that wouldn't be much of a problem. He could probably take them down easily is he wanted two, but he had a more effective way of dealing with the situation. Reaching into his utility belt, Dick Grayson withdrew a small device that Cyborg had given him awhile back. Sneaking forward, he gave the object a gentle toss.

The device landed in front of the guards, letting off a high-pitched beeping sound. The two thugs stepped forward to observe the device, but were caught off guard as the item gave them a small spray of knockout gas. The guards staggered backwards as the chemical took its affect, grunting in annoyance. After a few seconds, they toppled over on the ground, lying motionless like a couple of statues. Having neutralized the possible threat, Nightwing stepped into the light of the main hallway, kicking down the locked door as he moved forward.

Penguin looked up from his newspaper in a surprised manner, his eyes widening slightly at the sight of the young vigilante. Seeing as the hero showed no signs of outward hostility, the portly mafia boss decided to address him. "What do you want?" he asked in a tone that threatened rudeness in every syllable.

"Answers…" Nightwing replied cryptically. Taking a few steps forward as he spoke.

"I'm a legitimate businessman now… I have no answers for the likes of people like you." He replied, standing up and placing his hands on his desk. "You would do best to leave my office, or I will have you escorted off of the premises by force."

"Perhaps you would like to try again…" Nightwing replied in an irritated tone. Darting forward with surprising agility, he seized the crime lord by the front of his shirt. Picking him up by his shirt, the young vigilante lifted the shorter man into the air, his feet dangling almost a foot off of the floor.

"All right… already… What do you want to know?" Penguin replied, a twinge of fear present on his face.

Nightwing dropped the portly crime boss onto the floor, his top hat sliding off as he hit the ground. Penguin struggled to his feet in a hasty manner, attempting to regain his composure. He twirled his top hat between his fingers before placing it back onto his head.

"Where is Roulette?" Dick Grayson spat, his eyes flashing dangerously through his mask.

Penguin sat back down in his chair, looking thoroughly annoyed. "I have no idea who you're talking about…" he replied, reaching for his umbrella as he spoke.

The young hero caught his movements, quickly disarming the man with a well-timed birdarang. The crime boss shook his injured hand in pain letting out small groan as he slammed his fist onto the button on his desk. The button alerted his two bodyguards, who immediately rushed to the office to protect their boss. Nightwing spun around just as two scantily clad women cart wheeled into the room, flipping into the air, and landing between himself and the bird-loving mafia head.

Nightwing reacted quickly dodging a kick and drawing a birdarang from his utility belt. He tossed the small projectile at his new opponents, who flipped sideways to avoid it. It appeared that these two women were quite a step up from the flunkies that he had knocked out in the hallway. They turned to face him, taking walking sticks from the wall of Penguin's office.

He wasn't sure what to think about, but he soon found out that this fight was going to be troublesome than he had thought. The pair pressed buttons on their sticks, causing shard blades to protrude from the weapons. Dashing forward, the two women began to swing their weapons with a decent amount of accuracy.

He bent backwards, flipping out of the way as the blade passed harmlessly over his head. Spinning around, he delivered a well-placed kick to his opponent's head, knocking her out cold in the process.

Flipping sideways, he began fighting his second opponent. She appeared to be slightly more skilled than the first woman, and was able to block a few of his kicks and punches as she moved backwards. Thinking quickly, he swung his fist forward, using his leg to trip her as she attempted to dodge his attack. He stepped on her weapon, kicking it across the room as he turned towards her boss.

Penguin had taken advantage of the distraction created by the appearance of his bodyguards, having quickly reached for his umbrella during the fray. Getting the item into position, the villain fired off a few rounds of ammo at Nightwing.

Dick Grayson leapt sideways to avoid the machinegun's fire, quickly drawing a pair or birdarangs and tossing them at his opponent. The first projectile soared forward with amazing accuracy, slicing into the umbrella and exploding. The second grazed Penguin's good hand, rendering him unable to wield another weapon.

Taking a few steps forward, Nightwing seized the man by his shirt again. "Where and when is Roulette holding the next Meta Brawl." He shouted, pulling the shorter man to eye level.

"All right… Not that I have anything to do with it, but I hear rumors…" he replied, looking slightly nervous.

Nightwing's glare deepened as his angry gaze bored into the frightened crime lord. "Just tell me." He hissed, his tone low and unpleasant.

"Fine… I heard a rumor that she was holding the next Meta Brawl somewhere in Metropolis." He said, a drop of sweat running down his face.

The young vigilante nodded, dropping the villain onto the floor for the second time that night. Turning around, Nightwing left the battle-wrecked office. At least now he had an idea of where to go next.

NOTE TO READERS: I'm sorry that I haven't updated in awhile, but inspiration isn't as easy to come by as it was at the beginning. I hope that readers are enjoying my story, and I hope that you guys find it comparable with a season of Justice League Unlimited (That was my intention) or Teen Titans. Too bad that both shows were discontinued. I sometimes miss the DC Animated Universe, and the Teen Titans show was decent too. Anyway, I hope that everyone who can review will give me some comments or even some ideas for the story. I also wish that I could get started on a new story, so I might start to wind down. Of course I think I've said that before, but I'm still here writing this story. Once again, thanks to everyone who has reviewed my story so far.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34: Birds of Prey**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters or logos.

Nightwing tore through the twilight as he leapt from one building to another. It had been a long journey, but he was so close to his goal. Leaping forward like a bird taking flight, the young hero opened the folds of his cape, floating through the skies of Gotham City with his glider open.

A shadow of a smile etched its way onto his face as he caught sight of his car. It was a tricked out machine designed by Cyborg, but the exterior appeared to be relatively normal. His old friend had been king enough to let him borrow a car from the garage in Titans Tower, and he was grateful from that. It would be much easier to get to Metropolis if he had a ride.

At the moment, it really didn't matter, because the young vigilante had more important things on his mind to worry about, and he was looking forward to finding out some useful information on the case. Focused on his thoughts, he did not see the missiles flying toward him from the distance.

Catching sight of the deadly projectiles, Nightwing broke out of his flight pattern, disrupting the glider's action drastically. The sudden change in motion had made it difficult to maintain altitude. Losing control of it, the young hero fell sideways onto the roof of a nearby building, landing in a crumpled heap.

Shaking off the pain of the accident, the young hero saw another attack coming in his direction. Without even getting up, he rolled sideways to avoid the laser fire that had blasted the area where his head been moments earlier. Leaping to his feet, he struck a fighting stance, searching the skies frantically for any sign of his attacker.

"Over here…" a voice replied in a cocky tone.

Spinning around frantically, he tossed his birdarangs in the direction of the voice. While the small projectiles would have hit an ordinary target, they bounced helpless off of the barrier surrounding his opponent.

Warp gave him a cocky grin as he floated downwards, his rockets retracting as he landed a few yards away from Nightwing. "Greetings… it was been awhile."

"What do you want… did you come to finish me?" Nightwing scowled in an angry manner, taking out two more birdarangs as he glared at the futuristic villain. "I'll take you on right now if that's what you want."

The villain let out a hearty laugh, looking thoroughly amused by the young hero's heated reaction. "What's so funny?" Nightwing asked, taking a few steps backwards in case his opponent tried something.

His laughter died as he heard Nightwing's reply. "Quite the violent little man you have become…"

Reaching into his pocket, the villain withdrew a small steel ball, which he held out in front of himself. Nightwing eyed the small device with suspicion, preparing to disarm his opponent with a birdarang if the item was a weapon. To his surprise, his adversary did not appear as if he was going to use it as a weapon.

"I have a message for you…" Warp replied, as if he had read the young hero's mind. "I am sure that you will find it in your best interest to listen."

Ignoring Nightwing's obvious annoyance, the futuristic villain pressed the button the surface of the device. In a matter of seconds, the orb split apart. The light from the sphere shifted and twisted, forming the image of a human being… Slade. After a few moments, the small image in Warp's hand began to speak.

"Greetings, my old friend. If you are watching this then it means that my associate was able to deliver the message safely. I doubt that you are pleased to see me, but I have a proposition for you… I hear that you have been searching for me, and I must commend you on your efforts. Nevertheless, I doubt that you will find anything significant in helping you to thwart me, so here we stand at the crossroads of fate."

Nightwing scowled in annoyance. Slade was always the type to toy around with his opponent before getting to the point, which was another thing that he hated about the masked villain.

"If you truly are determined to kill me, then come to the rooftop of Gotham Mall at midnight tonight, but remember… no police, no friends, no Justice League. If violate any one of these conditions, I promise you that you will deeply regret it. Your friend… what was her name? Starfire? Let's just say that she's not doing so well at the moment. I doubt the league even knows that she's gone…"

With these last words, the masked villain's holographic form vanished into the orb.

"Are we clear?" Warp asked putting the device away.

The young vigilante nodded in response as the villain disappeared through a vortex. He wasn't sure if Slade was telling the truth or not about Starfire, but there was only one way to find out. Reaching into his utility belt, Nightwing pulled out his Justice League communicator.

"Nightwing to Watchtower… do you read me?"

Static erupted from the speaker, but after a few moments, the Martian's voice came through. "This is the Watchtower… how can we be of assistance?"

"I would like to report that there is a lead that I am currently unable to follow on the case of the Tri-gems."

"Very well then… elaborate." The Martian ordered.

"I believe that the Meta Brawl is taking place in Metropolis tonight, and I have a feeling that Roulette will be involved. If we can capture her, then we might get a lead on the Legion of Doom."

"Very well… is there anything else that you would like to report."

"I would like to ask if Starfire is on board the space station right now?" he asked, hiding the uncertainty that he felt.

"The record say that she was sent out on a mission earlier today. It was a relatively simple crowd control job, but she has not yet reported back to us. We have heard nothing from her for several hours…"

Nightwing's eyes widened in anger as he tried to take in this new piece of information. It felt as if a lump had formed in his throat, but it was a few moments before he spoke again. "Have you tried to contact her?"

"We have tried to establish contact with her, but were unable to do so… we fear that her communicator may have been disabled for some reason, but the data is insufficient for us to conclude that anything has happened to her."

Nightwing remained silent for a few minutes… his mind assessing the situation.

"Are you still there?" a voice came from his communicator.

"Yeah… over and out." He said, switching of the device. Without another word, he headed for the Gotham Mall to wait for Slade. He would settle this personally.

**WITH RAVEN **

It may have been another boring day aboard the Watchtower, but the atmosphere was much more tense than usual. All of the heroes were worried about what would happen next, and although her powers had been severely weakened, her sense of perception was as sharp as ever.

Having spent her entire life holding in her emotions, Raven was an expert when it came time to sensing the feelings of others, and even a normal person could probably see how concerned some of the heroes were. She could feel a strong sense of unrest in the air that seemed to engulf everyone. Not a single person was unaware of the current situation, and even the always-cheerful Flash did not seem to be quite himself. She had run into the red speedster three times today, and not once did he crack a joke. Even Batman who had always had a reputation for maintaining his serious composure was acting more grim and cynical than usual.

Despite the unrest aboard the Space Station, she really couldn't blame them for the way they felt. The grievous news concerning Slade's Secret Society had become even more terrifying, considering that he had recruited one of the world's most dangerous magicians to help him with his plans. If this weren't enough, she was beginning to go through some personal issues that had complicated the situation even further.

Raven had always been the strong, silent type, but now she was experiencing more emotional slips than she had ever had before. Without her dark soul looming inhabiting her body like a malevolent spirit, she could feel her emotionless façade slipping away as if a great strain had been lifted. Needless to say, she wasn't used to this feeling at all, and to be honest, she wasn't exactly sure if she was happy with the idea or not.

She had always seen herself as an independent person, but now she was beginning to wonder what this change would do to her personality. For the next few moments, Raven imagined herself wearing a goofy grin on her face with a pink cloak over her shoulders, laughing at Beast Boy's jokes and speaking to her friends in a flamboyant and jubilant manner. She retched at the thought, quickly pushing the idea out of her head. At the moment, she would rather eat Beast Boy's nasty tofu cakes than end up like that.

Shaking her head in annoyance, her thoughts began to return to the current situation. Since she no longer her emotionally driven powers to deal with, she could no longer feel that forbidding presence within her body attempting to unleash her demonic energy on everything and everyone around her. For the first time in her life, she felt like her body was truly her own, but to a person who had always lived in fear of her own power, nothing could be stranger.

Outwardly expressing her emotions on a more regular basis was something new to her, but Doctor Fate had personally encouraged her to try while she was free from her dark inhibitions. She had actually been outwardly pleasant over the last couple of days, and had even caught herself attempting to make a joke when she ate lunch with Beast Boy the previous day. While even she knew that the actual line she said was not overly amusing, her old friend seemed to appreciate her feeble attempt, and had given her a nervous laugh. Thinking back to the situation, his awkward response was probably more out of surprise than humor. It seemed that he had found the fact that she had tried her hand at comedy to be somewhat disturbing, considering that she used to scold him for his immaturity when they were Teen Titans.

Despite the interesting new prospect that had been revealed, the current scenario continued to plague her thoughts, whether she was directly considering the danger or not. Another emotion that was new to her was the insipient sense of panic that constantly saturated her mind. With Slade so close to achieving his twisted goal, and the Justice League unable to find any clues on the latter, everyone aboard the Watchtower was beginning to worry.

What made things even worse was the fact that she had been taken off of the active roster, and was not allowed to go out on missions to personally investigate the situation herself. Starfire, Beast Boy, and Cyborg were all out in the field, but they hadn't been any more successful than the other heroes on the case, and no one had any communications with Nightwing recently. Leave it to him to disappear without a trace when he was needed.

Her thoughts immediately returned to her own predicament again. She knew that her temporary suspension from missions was for her own safety, but the waves of pain that she had felt in her body had stopped, and she was confident that she return to the field. Perhaps her soul had recovered from the trauma of losing a piece of itself and was starting to adjust to the new conditions.

Needless to say, she was anxious to return from her daily duties so that she could speak to Doctor Fate. If she received his approval, she would be allowed to rejoin her friends in the field, and begin finding some answers.

The whole Watchtower duty thing really wasn't a very convincing ruse to begin with. The Martian had assigned her to patrol the rooms where the other heroes trained, but she hadn't been fooled. She had a feeling that Doctor Fate had pulled some strings so that she would have some extra time to train while putting in some working hours at the same time. She had been sitting on one of the mats, attempting to levitate objects using mystic energy. While she was able to perform the simple spell, the use of mystic energy was much different from the use of chaos magic, and she found that it required slightly more concentration than her normal powers did.

Although not as instinctive as her demon magic was, she found that performing mystic spells was much easier than it was before. Before the incident with Morgaine Le Fey, Raven was forced to convert her chaos magic into mystic energy before performing different types of spells. Now she no longer had to worry about that. Having been purged of demonic impurity, her magical aura was much more compatible with Doctor Fate's magic.

She smiled inwardly as a fierce determination entered her body. It filled the void in her soul where her dark spirit had once resided, and gave her the confidence. Pushing herself off of the floor, Raven decided that she was going to head for the main control room to request an early reprieve from Watchtower duty. While she dreaded her inevitable conversation with the stubborn Martian, there was no way that she was spending the rest of the day in here when all of her friends had been called out for the investigation. There were so many things that she could be doing to help the investigation of the Legion of Doom, and she wanted to stop them more than anyone at the moment. The young sorceress took a few steps towards the door, but a loud thumping noise behind her caught her attention. Glancing backwards, the young sorceress made a 180-degree turn to get a better look at the sight going on in the sparring ring.

"Take this blondie!" Huntress cried, aiming a kick at her opponent's head.

Black Canary sidestepped the powerful blow, seizing her opponent by the leg, and tossing her across the ring. Huntress flew backwards onto the floor, her face slightly bruised as she glared up at her opponent. Needless to say, the dark-haired woman was not happy about the outcome of the round.

"Give up yet…" the blonde replied mockingly, following up the statement with a confident smirk.

Huntress shook her head in a defiant manner, struggling to her feet as she brushed off her costume. Reaching behind her back, she unbuttoned her cape, throwing it onto the ground along with her utility belt. Shaking off the waves of pain that pulsed through her head, she grinned back at her worthy opponent. "Best three out of five." She said, motioning forward with her hands.

Her opponent tossed her jacket onto the ground, balling her hands into fists as she struck a fighting stance. "Fine… but I don't see why you bother."

"Don't get cocky. I've taken out birds a heel of a lot bigger than you." She retaliated. Black Canary nodded in response as she flipped backwards, landing on her feet a few yards away. The two women exchanged competitive glares as they began to circle around the ring from opposite sides, preparing to continue the match.

Raven watched in interest as the two females readied themselves for the next round, but the battle was interrupted by a familiar voice on the intercom. "Black Canary and Raven, please report to the main control room… that is all." The Martian's voice echoed throughout the Space Station.

The young sorceress held her arms out in a wide position, disappearing in a flash of light, causing the sign of the Egyptian Ankh to appear for a few seconds in the spot where her body had vanished. Seconds later, she reappeared a few yards away from the Martian.

The towering form of J'onn J'onzz turned to greet her, his expression as serious as ever. She gave him a small nod, quickly acknowledging the alien. While he said nothing for a few seconds, she could tell that he was surveying her through those crimson, pupil-less eyes. He was probably curious about what happened to her, and was taking the opportunity to observe her. After a few awkward moments, the Martian broke the silence that had formed between them.

"I'm sure that you are wondering why I have ordered you here." He asked, his gaze meeting hers for a few seconds.

"I am…" Raven returned his eye contact as she spoke.

The Martian turned his back to her as he headed back towards the control panel. Reached over to the clipboard on the workspace, he began flipping through pages in a rapid manner. After a few moments, he tore a form from the stack and handed it to her. "Due to your early recovery, you have been freed of all previous precautionary activities."

The blue-clad sorceress took the form from the alien's grip, her own eyes scanning it for a few seconds before answering. "I see…" Looking at the bottom of the page, she could clearly see Doctor Fate's signature.

The alien nodded quickly, taking the paper from her and placing it back into the pile as he attempted to straighten out the mess. After organizing the countless forms on the desk he shifted his attention back towards Raven. "As you probably understand, this means that you are free to continue your duties in the field. You were called here because you have been given a mission concerning the current situation, and we believe that you can do it better than anyone else."

Raven nodded in response as she waited for him to elaborate on the subject, but they were interrupted before the Martian could continue their conversation.

The doors to the control room slid open with a metallic clang as two more people entered the main control room. Black Canary stepped forward to join them, followed closely by Huntress. The two women wore matching irritated expressions, as if the Martian's call to action had just interrupted something important.

The Martian Manhunter ignored their apparent distaste, his expression remaining indifferent for the most part. "Do you have authorization to be here?" he asked as his gaze shifted to the dark-haired super hero.

"Yeah… Q decided that he wanted some company so he called me." A distasteful expression lit her features as she spoke to the alien. Apparently she hadn't been on particularly good terms with the Martian since she joined to league, and things had only worsened after he expelled her from the organization.

"You are no longer a member of this organization, and as such you are no longer permitted to come and go as you please." He said, casting an indifferent expression towards her.

"I do better on my own anyway." Huntress nodded in exasperation, shooting him a look that clearly wished him nothing but misery, as she turned around and continued towards the door. Raven exchanged odd expressions with Black Canary as the end of Huntress's cape disappeared through the doorway, the exit sliding shut behind her as she entered the hallway.

Green Arrow cocked an eyebrow from across the room as he approached his girlfriend. "What's wrong with her?" he asked, glancing towards the doorway as he spoke.

"Don't really have a clue." Black Canary replied, shaking her head in emphasis. She looked relatively indifferent to the situation. "Too bad we didn't get to finish our match. I swear that I would've kicker her ass from Gotham City to San Francisco if I hadn't been called here." She replied with a competitive smile.

"Easy there pretty bird." The masked archer replied, pulling her a little bit closer to him as he spoke. J'onn J'onzz shook his head in a disapproving manner, but said nothing as he turned a blind eye towards the couple. He had found love with a middle-aged woman in China, and as far as he was concerned, it was a natural thing. The way he went home to her after work reminded him of his family on Mars all those years ago.

Raven's reaction was similar the Martian's, as she had no desire to watch the love fest herself. While people would not usually call her heartless, she was still quite far from being the romantic type. Not that there were many boys who would even bother to look at her when she wasn't using her concealment spell. It wasn't really ugly, but her sense of style scared most people, and the pale color of her skin was considered unnatural by most people. The only boy who had ever showed her any large amount of interest was actually a dark dragon in disguise that was using her to free himself.

As the pair separated, Green Arrow glanced back at her before leaving them to their business. It wasn't very professional, but who really cared. With another metallic clang, he too had disappeared through the doorway. Now that the distraction had passed, they could finally get down to business.

"I have an important mission concerning the current situation with the Secret Society." He replied, turning towards the two heroes standing across the room.

"Were you able to find some leads?" Raven asked.

"Yes… Nightwing sent us a transmission that I believe you will find quite interesting. He believes that Roulette may know where we can locate Deathstroke's base of operations, and he has recently gone to Metropolis to attend the Meta Brawl in hopes of capturing her for questioning."

Black Canary nodded in understanding, her fists clenching tightly into fists. "So… do you intend for us to back him up?"

The Martian hesitated for a moment before answering her. "Although that was my original plan, it is not the case. Nightwing reported this information because he claims that he has something else to do, and is currently unable to take this mission."

A look of curiosity lit Raven's features as his last words reached her ears. Nightwing had been obsessive about the whole situation from the very beginning… so why would he have something else to take care of? It really didn't make much sense. Although many questions had begun bombarding her mind, she remained silent and said nothing more on the subject.

"Do either of you have any questions?" he asked. When neither of them raised any concerns, the Martian seemed relatively satisfied. "Good… I have already set the Watchtower transporter to the proper coordinates. Please be ready to depart as soon as possible. Dismissed…"

The two heroes took that as their cue to leave as they walked through the metallic doors. After a few moments of silence, the two of them had reached the main room in the Watchtower.

The place was just as busy as always, as the space station personnel went about their daily business. Heroes entered and left the Watchtower on a regular basis, adding to the commotion in the space station.

Raven glanced up at the machine just in time to see Beast Boy, Aztec, and Jason Blood, vanish within a flash of light. She couldn't help but sigh as the transporter whisked her fellow heroes to another location. The movement of the heroes stepping in and out of the transporter made the place seem even busier than before, but it also made her think of how many people were in trouble around the world… and even beyond the Earth.

"Are you coming?" Black Canary asked from atop the steps.

The young sorceress nodded as she stepped onto the machine. While there was a time when she would have floated upwards, she decided to conserve her magic for the actual mission rather than waste it.

The man by the control panel flicked a thumb in the air, earning himself a nod from his supervisor as her punched in a sequence on the keyboard. "Coordinates set…" he replied, pulling the lever on the machine. A brilliant light engulfed the heroes, but as she struggled to regain her footing, the young sorceress realized that they had already arrived.

Black Canary stood a few feet away, a gruff expression flashing across her face as she straightened the sleeves of her jacket. "This must be the place…" she announced, gesturing towards the large building across the street.

them Raven waited until they were back into the hallway before she spoke again. Her new partner was wearing an odd expression, as if there was another problem going on that she didn't want to talk about, and Raven had been able to tell that there was something wrong since the moment that she had appeared in the control room.

While she considered the facts, the possibility remained that her teammate might impede the mission if she was preoccupied with personal issues… a lesson that Raven herself had learned many times in the past. Tossing aside her caution, the young sorceress decided to go for the direct approach.

"So… Something bothering you?" The older hero appeared to have heard her, but merely shook her head in abrupt manner, but giving no other sign that she had heard anything.

Raven sighed in an awkward fashion… it was usually her who gave her fellow heroes the cold shoulder before missions. "If something is bothering you… you are more than welcome to tell me about it." She replied, giving her teammate a reassuring smile. "After all, we have to work together so I figured that we should be willing to help each other out."

While the young sorceress was normally the calm type, she couldn't help but blush slightly as she realized what she had just said. Raven had never been the heartless type, but she had never really considered herself the kind of person to offer moral support to people that she barely knew.

Black Canary continued walking, her back turned to her teammate. The younger hero followed closely after her, quickening her pace to match her teammate. Charging forward, the young sorceress found herself face to face with the older hero who had suddenly stopped further away from the building than before.

"Why did you stop here?"

To her intense surprise, the older hero looked relatively calm, and did not seem to be annoyed by her question. "You don't intend to walk into a public establishment dressed like that… do you?"

Raven glanced down at her clothes, quickly remembering the importance of going undercover during missions. "Never mind that…" she replied, muttering a few incantations under her breath. As soon as she completed her chant, her body began to vanish, slowly losing all tangibility until she had all but vanished from view.

"Invisibility!?" The blonde looked a little surprised at first, but quickly recovered from the initial shock. Green Arrow had mentioned that she was a sorceress, so there really wasn't anything to be surprised about. Still, the older hero had never been partnered with one of the magically inclined members of the Justice League before. This was probably going to be an interesting experience.

Shrugging of the thought, Black Canary headed towards the door. "You plan to infiltrate the Meta Brawl by concealing yourself?"

"Precisely…" the unseen spell caster replied.

The older woman sighed. Reaching into her jacket, Black Canary pulled out a pair of "Meta Brawl- Metropolis" tickets. "The Martian had been able to obtain some at the last minute."

Raven shrugged, but the notion was unseen as she was invisible. "Sorry… but I'd rather do things my way.

To her surprise, the older hero appeared not to have been paying attention to her. She held out her hand in front of Raven, effectively silencing her. "Shhhhh… someone's watching us."

The young sorceress probed the area with her mind, quickly finding the presence and firing a stunning spell above Black Canary's head. The unfortunate victim of her attack let out a cry of pain as she came toppling off the fire escape of a nearby building. Raven's eyes widened in surprise as she caught sight of the interloper, quickly catching the person on a magic platform before she hit the ground.

"Huntress!" Raven breathed as Black Canary propped the unconscious woman up against a nearby building.

Black Canary let out a sigh of relief as Huntress came to. "Not a criminal… just a lackluster vigilante with a tacky cape." She taunted, grinning evilly as her rival stood up.

"Careful what you say, blondie." The woman hissed, shaking off the effects of Raven's spell as she turned to face the other two.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Black Canary interjected, raising an eyebrow in annoyance.

Huntress shrugged. "I told the guy at the transporter that I was going on the mission with you guys after you left."

"And he actually fell for it?" Raven asked incredulously.

"Nope, he was new." The masked female replied, looking amused at the thought of how easily she had manipulated him. She turned to the other woman. "Oh, and we never really finished our match, so I came along to get some action… and show you up by getting the job done."

"This is league business." The blonde replied, folding her arms in discontent. "You were fired, remember."

The masked woman let out an irritated scowl, her displeasure growing. "Whatever… I'm an independent now anyway."

"If independent means that you take order from Question, then yeah, you're as independent as they come." She retaliated.

"Either way face it, you two need could use some help if you run into trouble." Huntress said, flashing them a smirk.

Raven turned to Black Canary for an answer, deciding that it didn't matter to her either way.

"Fine… just don't get in my way."

"Actually… I was about to say the same thing." Huntress shot back, earning a glare from the blonde.

The young sorceress cocked an eyebrow in amusement. She had a strange feeling that this was going to be interesting.

NOTE TO READERS: If anyone noticed a little change in Raven's personality, it's due to the fact that she no longer has any anger or rage, making for a slightly more tolerant, and considerably more mellow person. Oh, and please REVIEW. I don't think that anyone is bothering to review at this point, and I would like to know if anyone is enjoying this story at this point. (Yes I know it's long) I'm sorry for taking longer with my updates, but I'm trying harder to write when I have the inspiration.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Brawling Bang Babies

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters or logos.

Raven followed after the two older heroes as they entered the nearby club. While she could not be seen by the naked eye, an uneasy feeling had begun to build in the pit of her stomach. She was confident that it had nothing to do with the mission she was on at the moment… no… she was worried about something else entirely. While she had no definite proof that anything unsavory was happening to them, the young sorceress always had a sixth sense for these sorts of things. Having spent so much time around them for so long, Raven had developed a small connection to each of them through pure instinct.

"You still there…" Black Canary muttered out of the corner of her mouth. The sudden call had disrupted her train of thought, but she worked quickly to regain her concentration. It wouldn't do them any good if the affects of her invisibility spell had dispersed in public.

The young sorceress tapped her teammate's shoulder rather than voice her answer for everyone in the room to hear. While she gave a quick intake of breath, the blonde inclined her head briefly in response to the action and continued to walk as if nothing had happened.

The plan was going well so far, as the two older heroes were dressed rather normally instead of wearing their usual hero clothes. Huntress had donned a black dress, and had wisely decided to remove her mask and cape, while Black Canary had traded her jacket in exchange for more formal attire, and wore a light blue dress over her form-fitting clothing.

Joining the mob of people outside the doorway to the arena, the three heroes easily infiltrated the group of bystanders and entered the underground stadium. Raven slipped through the doors leading to the basement seconds before they closed, hanging back slightly so that she did not accidentally bump into anyone in the line. Her invisibility spell may have prevented people from seeing her, but that didn't necessarily mean that they could not touch her.

Following after the roaming crowd, she silently wished that she had done more work to perfect the intangibility spell before coming on this mission. While her thoughts lingered on this for a moment, she snapped back to the current situation upon seeing the arena.

The underground stadium was surprisingly extravagant for a place where villains illegally participated in steel cage matches. Large golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling of the large room, illuminating the stairways and seats around the arena. In the center of the room was a large ring, surrounded by double-enforced safety glass that even someone with super strength would have trouble breaking.

Looking around the arena, she realized how full the place was tonight. There were many people present for the event… most of which appeared to be relatively wealthy by the way that they were dressed. It made sense thought, since just one ticket to the Meta Brawl could cost as much as a few thousand dollars. As her eyes probed the arena more closely, she caught sight of a few familiar faces. The famous mafia boss, Rupert Thorpe was sitting in the top section of the room, with a few of his security guys with him.

She quickly caught sight of Huntress and Black Canary, both of which were sitting in the furthest row from the ring. She dared not sit down beside her companions in the case that someone did not see her and accidentally sat on top of her. If something like that happened, it was possible that she could blow their cover.

Standing near the top edges of the room, Raven's eyes darted toward the large monitor, which hung above the ring. The screen flashed for a second as the image of a woman's face appeared on the surface of the monitor. When the picture cleared, the woman began to speak.

"Greetings esteemed guests, and welcome to the newest edition of the Meta Brawl…" she declared flamboyantly to the audience. "My name is Roulette, and I make the rules."

Her announcement was met with loud cheers from all sides of the room. She paused a second to listen to the audience before continuing. "Tonight, we bring you a real showstopper. That's right folks… we have some special guests tonight that I'm sure you're all dying to meet." As she said this, the floor of the ring opened up, revealing the first contestant.

The man standing before them was obviously a younger contender. He was a rough-looking guy, wearing a sleeveless red shirt and a pair of baggy tan-colored pants that hung a bit lower than normal, showing a glimpse of the upper half of his undergarments in the back. He wore his fiery red hair in a messy, pointy style, as if it were styled to look like burning flames.

Roulette waited for the cheering to quiet before she continued. "Ladies and gentleman, please give a warm welcome to our newest Meta Brawler… the bruiser from Dakota, the fiery furnace, that bad boy from the streets… the unpredictable Hot Streak!"

As she finished speaking, the young man standing in the ring raised his arms in a flashy manner. Changing his demeanor, the villain's eyes began to glow a vindictive red. Flames literally enveloped his hair as fireballs formed in his hands. Taking a deep breath, the released a large stream of fire from his mouth in a frightening display, causing the audience to cheer with renewed vigor.

"Save some for our next contestant…" Roulette replied, straightening her sunglasses. "Our next contestant is the returning champion, the veteran brawler, the former heavyweight boxing champion… give it up for our undefeated champion… WILDCAT!"

The second secret compartment in the floor opened up, revealing a large man wearing a black spandex suit. Most of his face was concealed by a mask, but the lines on the lower half of his face clearly represented his age. The mask had two small points on the top of his head, similar to cat ears.

While the audience appeared to be relative enthusiastic to see this man in the arena, Raven stood in shock. Wildcat was a member of the Justice League… so what was he doing here. Looking for answers, the young sorceress glance down at Black Canary, only find that the blonde appeared to be just as shocked as she was.

The villain in the arena looked less than impressed by his opponent. "This old man is the only bruiser that you guys got for me the challenge?" Hot Streak shouted to the audience, earning an eruption of cheers from the crowd.

Black Canary stood up, her hands shaking violently as she clenched her fists, but was quickly pulled back by Huntress. "Now's not the time for your personal issues… or his…" she hissed, giving the blonde a warning look. The second woman simply nodded grudgingly a she sat back down.

"BEGIN!" Roulette cried, as the bell sounded. As soon as the tone had sounded, the two fighters began the match.

Hot Streak grinned in an unpleasant manner, tossing fireballs at his opponent with rapid succession. "You messed with the wrong dude." He taunted, igniting his hands in a fluid motion.

Wildcat dodged the attacks as they came, timing his movements carefully as the fireballs soared past him, missing his body by inches. To his surprise, the younger man lowered his arms, his eyes returning to their normal color as he took a few steps back.

"Give up yet?" he asked, a cocky expression on his face.

The older fighter stood his ground, a small smile creeping its way onto his aged face. "Why? You're afraid of losing to an old man?" he asked taking a fighting stance as he spoke.

The villain laughed in a rude manner, looking thoroughly amused by the idea. "You got guts old dude… What you gonna do? Wheeze on me?"

Wildcat took his opening, darting forward and planting his fist into the side of his opponent's head. The villain flew a few feet into the air, crashing headfirst into the safety glass wall. While the wall did not shatter, it gave off a loud ringing noise as the younger fighter made contact with it. "You should really learn not to talk so much." He replied, turning his back to the kid.

Hot Streak roared in pain, clutching his head as he struggled to his feet. His breaths were shallow and strained, but it was not out of pain… but out of pure rage. The fire from his hair spread, engulfing his entire arms and shoulders as his anger increased. "Damn you, you old bastard! You just made the biggest mistake of your life, and unfortunately for you… it's also the last mistake you'll ever make." The flames engulfing his body roared in his fury, rising higher and higher as he began firing off multiple blasts at his opponent.

The older man flipped sideways to avoid the attacks, landing on his feet a few yards away. Taking in a quick breath, he was forced to jump sideways to avoid another blast that has been inches from incinerating his body. Darting forward, Wildcat continued to dodge the incoming blasts, being careful to maneuver in a way that would not move him out of the way of one attack, only to run into another.

Ducking underneath another blast, the hero smiled in enjoyment. He always liked fighting, and this new guy was actually proving to be a challenge. The hero lost his balance for a moment, but quickly caught himself before he tripped and fell. While he was able to move away from the oncoming fireball, he could feet the heat on his arm.

Looking down at his shoulder, the old fighter winced in pain as he saw the singe mark on his costume. Despite his pride, Wildcat was no fool by any means. While there was once a time that he could have dodged oncoming attacks for long periods of time, he knew that he wasn't as young as he used to be, and that if his opponent kept on attacking like this he would eventually be killed.

"Give up old man!" The fiery villain called out, flashing his opponent an arrogant smile. The hero was weakening, and he could tell just from his movements.

To his surprise, the older fighter returned his smile.

The flames engulfing Hot Streak's body roared higher as he glared at his opponent in annoyance. "WHAT'S SO DAMN FUNNY?" he shouted, hurling another fireball at his nemesis.

Wildcat said nothing in response to his opponent's outburst as he leapt forward to attack. While most people would have considered such an act foolish, the older hero had a plan.

The furious villain dodged the attack, taking a few steps backwards as he prepared to continue his assault, but his opponent refused to let up, and continued to aim punches at him. Hot Streak knew that he was on the offensive for letting his opponent move to close to him, but it was only a matter of time before he could put some distance between them, and as soon as he did, the old man would be nothing but a pile of smoldering ash. Seeing another punch coming his way, Hot Streak jumped backward again.

Wildcat only grinned as his opponent fell backwards, turning his head just in time to see that the wall he was about to hit was electrified. The human furnace crashed into the wall, howling in agony as pure electricity tore through his body like a knife. After a few seconds, he fell to the floor.

The villain struggled to his feet, but before he could activate his powers, he found himself face to face with Wildcat's fist. The blow struck him in the jaw, sending him flying back into the electric wall. Falling forward one again, he no longer had the strength left to use his meta-human powers.

The older fighter glared down at his half-conscious opponent, seizing the pyromaniac by his hair, Wildcat swung him over his head, slamming him onto the floor. Seeing that the villain was trying to stand again, Wildcat grabbed him by the front of his shirt, pulling him into a standing position. Letting go of his opponent, he took advantage on the opening and landed a volley of punches to his opponent's head and torso. With a cry of pain, the fiery villain's unconscious form slid onto the floor, a stream of blood leaking out from his lower lip.

Wildcat turned his back to the defeated villain, raising his arms in victory as the audience cheered him on. As he finished grandstanding, the large monitor above his head flicked on a second time, causing Roulette's face to appear.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the winner and still champion… Wildcat!" she declared, earning another chorus of cheers from the crowd. "We'll be right back after a brief intermission, so place those bets folks." As she finished speaking, the monitor switched off once again.

Black Canary rose from her seat, her fists clenched in annoyance as she ascended the steps leading towards the exit. After all he had been through, why would her old mentor have come back to the Meta brawl? It just didn't make any sense to her.

Catching sight of her accomplice, Huntress gave a small sigh of agitation as she followed after the blonde hero. The two heroes tore through the crowds of people, shuffling and pushing to create a path towards the door.

It took a few minutes, but they had finally reached the ladies restroom, which was luckily empty at the moment. As if one cue, Raven appeared besides them, her expression a combination of mingled curiosity and anxiousness. "So… is it time to begin the operation?" she asked in a calm and controlled tone. The blonde hero jumped slightly at the reappearance of her teammate, but quickly hid any signs of shock. Cocking her head to the side, she nodded in agreement.

Huntress returned the collective nod, flashing a small grin as she unbuttoned her dress, revealing the form fitting hero outfit that she wore underneath. Bending down over the dress, she reached into the folds of the discarded garment, withdrawing an angular mask. Lifting the item to eye level, she placed it over the upper half of her face, pushing it into position over her eyes. While she did not have her cape at the moment, she knew that it really didn't make much of a difference. She could kick butt with or without it.

Black Canary tore open the back of her dress, discarding the garment in a nearby trashcan as she slipped on her jacket. "Let's go!"

Raven nodded in agreement, casting her invisibility spell once more as she followed after the other two heroes. In a matter of moments, they had disappeared into the darkened hallways.

A large man in a suit stood in front of the blonde hero, his eyes hidden behind dark glasses. "I said where the hell do you think you're go'in lady?" he spat glaring down at them from behind his shades.

The blonde superhero looked completely unfazed, the makings of a smile forming on her lips. "That way…" she replied, pointing towards the locked door behind the man.

"You're a pretty little thing, but don't get stupid… Can't you read?" the man said, pointing towards the sign on the door. "It says ta keep outta there… well _Barbie_?" he asked, a cocky grin appearing on his face. Black Canary scowled at the insult, but said nothing in retaliation.

"Roulette told me not to let anyone through here." He said, cracking his knuckles together in a menacing way. "Don't make me hurt you."

At this moment, the blonde superhero's beautiful face lit with an amused smile, her eyes shining maliciously as she returned his glare. "Actually… I was about to say the same thing."

Before the giant man had a chance to react, Black Canary had delivered a swift kick between the man's legs, causing him to double over in pain. Taking the opening, she seized him by the arm and tossed him headfirst into the wall, causing his limp form to topple over helplessly onto the ground.

Unfortunately, her actions had attracted the attention of half the security guard within distance of the noise that she had made. The female superhero looked up just in time to see seven more guards enter the hallway from the surrounding rooms. While she was not in the mood to deal with so many all by herself, she had brought reinforcements too.

Huntress stepped out from the shadows, standing next to her companion as they both prepared for the fight ahead. "Bet I can take down more of them than you can." She said, raising her fists.

Her rival shot her a competitive grin as she turned around, looking completely unfazed by the challenge. "Not really fair if you ask me… you've got four coming from your side and I only have three on my side."

"Whatever… There's probably more of these goons guarding Roulette." She answered in a casual fashion.

Black Canary and Huntress stood back to back, both of them taking fighting stances as the mob of hired henchmen closed in around them. The two heroes wore equally cocky grins as the dark-clad woman made a taunting gesture at the surrounding beating the thugs to a pulp as they charged at women, flailing their fists in a futile attempt to defeat the two heroes.

Raven sat within the boundary of her invisibility spell, holding back as the guards rushed onto the scene. While she would normally have helped her teammates in a battle, she didn't see much of a reason to waste her energy at the moment. Her two companions appeared to be having too much fun at the moment, and she didn't feel like spoiling it for them.

One particularly large man came in from the side, hoping to catch the female heroes off guard, but his attempt failed miserably. As he closed in on them, Black Canary saw him out of the corner of her eye, seizing him one of the other henchmen by the arm, and tossing him in the direction of her attacker.

"Pushovers…" Huntress commented, gently pressing her fingers to the forehead of the guard closest to her. Having been beaten senseless by the heroes, the thug fell backwards onto the floor, his body crashing onto the floor with a resounding thump.

Black Canary nodded in agreement, cracking her knuckles in a bored manner as she strode forward. Her companions followed after her coming to a halt outside of a steel enforced door.

Huntress dropped to one knee, her expression hardening as she observed the door. "I think we need a password…" she replied as her eyes shifted across the number pad that stood where the handle was supposed to be. "What a pain…" she replied, aiming a kick at the doorway. Her foot crashed against the metal barricade, but the door remained undamaged by her sudden attack. She hissed in annoyance as a sharp pain coursed through her leg.

"Did you honestly think that kicking down a solid metal door was going to work?" the blonde replied, looking slightly amused by her reaction. "We have to think up another approach… maybe we can find another way in."

As Black Canary finished speaking, Raven removed her invisibility spell. At this point she no longer felt a need to hide, and it was about time she did something to speed up this mission so she could check on he friends. While she wasn't quite sure what it was, something just told her that there was something weird going on, and they might be in danger. The last thing she wanted to do was to waste time on a lead that probably wouldn't even yield much.

"Well… it's about time the witch came out from under her veil." Huntress replied, crossing her arms as she leaned against the nearby wall.

Raven ignored her comment, taking a few steps forward towards the door. "Leave this to me… I need you guys to take a few steps back."

Her teammates obeyed her request, moving away from the door as the young sorceress pressed her hand onto the surface of the metal. Closing her eyes in concentration, she muttered an incantation under her breath, focusing her spell. In a matter of seconds, the door crumpled like paper, the sound of metal wrenching and creaking as it fell off of its hinges.

Without another word, her teammates dashed past her, leaping over the destroyed remains of the door as they entered the room. The young sorceress followed suit, stepping over the rubble and into the control room.

The room was a large circular shape, the walls lined with advanced equipment and monitors. A red-clad woman with her hair tied into a bun sat next to the control panel, her back turned to the three heroes. She switched off the camera that allowed her to broadcast her announcements before turning to greet her guests.

"Ah… well if it isn't the Justice League." Roulette asked. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she straightened her sunglasses. The woman next to her gave a humorous laugh, flashing the new arrivals a cocky grin.

The second woman wore a black leotard, and her appearance was much more striking. She had a remarkable pale complexion and shocking blue hair that stood up in a spiky pattern, but was otherwise quite attractive. The opening near the upper half of her leotard was shaped like a lightning bolt and showed a small amount of cleavage. Pulling her arm back, Livewire shot a bolt of lighting from her fingertips.

Raven reacted quickly to her opponent's attack. Extending her hand forward, the young sorceress absorbed the attack in her fist and redirected the blast. She sent the lightning in Roulettes direction, but the female villain sidestepped the blast, looking slightly surprised.

"That's cheating…" Livewire spat out, her grin changing into a look of outrage.

Black Canary took a fighting stance, her eyes narrowing as she took a few steps forward. "Your both coming with us." She stated, clenching her fists tightly. Ignoring her rival's warning statement, Huntress shot forward like a missile, her leg thrust into the air in a kicking motion.

Roulette dodged sideways, flipping through the air and landing on her feet a few yards away. Reaching up onto the bun that held her hair, she pulled out the two knives that held her hair in place, causing her hair to spill out over the sides if her head. "You're both going to pay for sending me to jail during the Glamour Slam fiasco a year ago."

"Yeah right." Huntress replied, aiming a quick volley of punches and kicks at the red-clad villain "Why don't you just give up Roulette, you know you can't beat all three of us."

"Maybe not in a fair fight, but Livewire's not the only one who came to help me tonight." Roulette snapped her fingers in a quick motion of her fingers, her smile widening as a dark shadow moved across the floor. Huntress spun around just in time to see a strange portal opening on the surface of the nearby wall.

The dark vortex swirled and spun as a shadow emerged from the entrance, as the new arrival moved further away from the vortex, his body began to solidify. Although he clearly resembled a human from his waist upward, the lower half of his body appeared to be a stretchy blob, and his entire body was completely dark colored as if he had fallen into a vat of ink.

"Where did you come from?" Raven asked, her eyes scanning his strange appearance as if he were a particularly interesting curio. She was not frightened by his sudden appearance, on the contrary. When you lived in a place like Doctor Fate's tower, where the occupants were constantly phasing in and out of rooms, you sort of got used to unannounced intrusion. Eying the villain's unnatural form, she began wondering what kind of powers he possessed.

"And who the hell are you?" Black Canary interjected, observing the blob-like villain with a mixture of interest and disgust.

The shifty villain stretched the upper half of his body forward like a snake ready to strike, his eyes flashing dangerously. "All you guys need to know if that I'm the dude dat's gonna kick your sorry self."

Roulette grinned, her eyes flashing dangerously. "I would like to introduce you to my newest associate… Ebon."

"Das right." The shadowy villain replied, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You'll never heard of me and my gang back in Dakota. Where we come from they call us da Meta Breed."

Raven's eyes widened slightly as she remembered something that she had heard once. It took her a moment, but she recognized his face from the Justice League's villain profiles. Ebon and his cronies were the top villains in the city of Dakota, and were primarily captured by a young electricity-manipulating hero named Static.

Shifting her thoughts back to the situation, she couldn't help but wonder what he was doing here. It was strange, because she had heard that all the Dakota's Big Bang Meta Humans except for Static and his friend had been cured of their unnatural superpowers.

"I thought that every victim of the Big Bang had been cured except for Static and Gear, how is it that you still have your powers?" Raven said, thinking out loud.

Ebon shook his head to the side, looking rather irritated. "Yeah, you right. Those punk scientists back home took most of my crew and returned them to normal, but there was still a few of us, and the rest of us just were able to find the Big Bang Gas and get our powers back."

Huntress tilted her head to the side in a mocking gesture. "Gee… either way I don't think it makes much of a difference. The Meta Brawl must be lowering their standards if Roulette is hiring second-rate bruisers like you." She replied, flashing an evil grin in the direction of the three villains.

"He came here on my request…" Roulette said, pushing up her glasses as she spoke. "For a decent cut of the gross, this charming young gentleman was willing to lend me some fresh young fighters for the Meta Brawl. It's a pity that Wildcat had to pummel Hot Steak so badly, but off course we might have lost a major money maker either way."

"WHY!" Black Canary who had remained relatively silent during her explanation had suddenly seen a chance to ask the question that had been burning at her ever since she had seen her former mentor in the ring. "Why is Wildcat participating in these fights again?"

Roulette opened her mouth to answer, but Ebon lifted a hand to silence the red-clad woman. "You broads ain't got no business questioning how we do things round here, you get that?"

Losing her temper, Black Canary took few steps toward the trio of villains standing a cross the room, her eyes flashing dangerously. She turned back to her companions for a brief moment. "Cover your ears and stay away." She ordered, gesturing backwards as she continued to move towards the trio of bad guys.

Raven nodded in agreement, distancing herself from the enemy as Huntress followed after her. The pair just hoped that she knew what she was doing. Inhaling a deep breath, the blonde superhero releases a sonic birdcall at her opponents, all of which fled at the noise to avoid taking any injury.

Ebon tore his hand through the surrounding air, opening another vortex. Slipping through the portal, he vanished into the swirling darkness, leaving no trace behind that he had even been there to begin with. Roulette promptly fled from the scene of the attack, bolting for the door like an animal in a trap.

While she had avoided to worst of Black Canary's attack, the Meta Brawl manager found herself face to face with the other two heroes as she tried to flee the room. Huntress took a fighting stance as she flipped through the air, landing directly in front of the room's only exit. Distracted by this sudden challenge, the red-clad woman was caught off guard by a paralyzation spell that Raven had blasted her in her direction. Huntress bent over the female villain, binding her hands with rope as Raven prepared to take her in, but they realized that the battle was not quite over yet.

Ebon's strange vortex had reappeared in the center of the room, and was now growing larger by the second. In a matter of moments, the blob-like villain emerged from his portal, stretching the entrance wider so that more people could come through. Five Meta-humans stepped through the swirling energy. The gang leader nodded his head in an angry manner as he glared at the heroes.

"So, what's with the freak brigade?" Huntress asked, returned his glare with one of her own.

Raven simply took a step backwards out of instinct, a feeling of fear bubbling up from the pit of her stomach. While this emotion was normally not a major port of her personality, the absence of her rage and anger had dulled her edge, making her more susceptible to weakness. She was a little bit scared at the moment, but no matter what the situation was, they were now clearly outnumbered.

Ebon moved to the side of his crew, his eyes flashing dangerously. "Yo dog, no one insults me and my posse and gets away with it. Meet the Meta Breed." He said, gesturing towards his gang.

The first member to step up closely resembled a gigantic armadillo. A rather shorter woman stood behind him, her hair done in a strange style and the upper half of her body was gliding on a cloud of smog, which floated where her legs should have been. Behind her was a larger Meta Human who bore a beastly appearance. His skin was a strange purple color, and it was quite obvious from his size and build that he was physically strong. Another woman stood beside them, and although she was probably the most normal looking of the bunch, there was something about her that gave the off the impression that she was the most dangerous of the bunch.

Hot Streak stood at the end of the group, his expression a mixture of loathing and rage. Apparently he was still angry about being defeated by Wildcat in front of an audience and was just about ready to blow off some of that anger.

Ebon cleared his throat as he glanced at the three heroes. "Meet Carmendillo, Puff, Onyx, Madelyn and Hot Streak." Each of the Meta humans nodded or acknowledged Ebon with either a nod or grunt as he named them.

"Just get 'um." Livewire shouted, pointing in the direction of the three heroes.

While Ebon hated taking orders from anyone, the shifty gang leader simply nodded his head in obedience, gesturing his arm forward as a signal for his gang to attack. While most of them followed his lead without question, two of them looked less than happy about taking his orders. Hot Streak and Madelyn stood back, watching as the other villains started to close in around their adversaries.

The armadillo-like Carmendillo charged forward, his body curling into a spherical shape, which rolled towards the heroes like a giant ball. Huntress sidestepped the misjudged attack, causing the mutant villain to roll through the open door of the room and down the nearby stairs.

Spinning around, the masked hero found herself face to face with another opponent. The pyromaniac Hot Streak shot fireballs from his hands, attempting to burn her to death. The masked female backed away from her opponent, carefully dodging his fiery assault as she weaved around his fire blasts. She drew her crossbow, but upon seeing a streak of blonde out of the corner of her eye, she had a feeling that she wasn't going to need it at the moment.

Black Canary flipped forward landing between Huntress and Hot Streak. Taking a deep breath, she released her birdcall at full power, the sonic notes hitting the fiery villain like a freight train. He struggled for a few moments, but was eventually defeated by the assault, collapsing helplessly onto the ground for the second time that night. The two rivals exchanged nods before running back towards the fray. The young sorceress was trying to take on the remaining villains by herself, and so far she was losing the fight.

Raven sent a constant stream of stunning spells at Puff, but her partner Onyx stood directly in front of her, blocking the attacks. While the purple strong man was by no means a magic-using opponent, his insane strength and endurance was more than a match for her low-level spells, granting him an unnatural immunity. She also fought defensively, using barriers to deflect Livewire's constant blasts of electricity as well as the clouds of poisonous smog that Puff sent at her from behind Onyx's back. Needless to say, she was beginning to feel the strain from this fight, and it wasn't even over yet.

The two other heroes noticed this and immediately sprang into action. Huntress shot an arrow from her crossbow at the poisonous Meta Human, but the attack had little affect. While the projectile had struck Puff's body, the female Meta Human had seen the attack, and had transformed her torso into smoke to avoid fatal injury.

"Freaky…" Huntress muttered to herself as she charged forwards into the fray.

The blonde hero nodded in agreement, following her rival into the ensuing battle. Black Canary sent off a minor sonic blast in Livewire's direction, but the electrical villain transformed her body into electricity for the duration and reappeared a few feet to the left. Weary from the overuse of her birdcalls Black Canary sprung forward, aiming attacks at her opponent. She attempted to battle the electrical Livewire, but no matter how many kicks that she threw at the shocking villain, all her attacks struck was the surrounding air.

"What's the matter, no power left." Livewire taunted, hitting Black Canary with a concentrated stream of lighting. Tired from her previous actions, the blonde hero fell to her knees in defeat. She looked up defiantly at her opponent, but was struck on the back of the heard by Ebon's fist, rendering her unconscious.

Raven assessed the situation in her mind, as she continued to fend off the attacks from the gang of unruly Meta Humans. Breaking away from the tussle, she decided to help her teammate by using Livewire's weakness against her. "Ciutu Ita Nezilla Aguatori." She chanted, pointing her left hand at the electrical villain's outline as she scattered Puff's smog attack with magical blast from her right hand. Jets of water shot forth from her fingertips, but Livewire saw the attack coming and moved out of the way to escape injury.

Ebon simply gasped in awe as the streams of water collided with his shadowy form, sending him flying a few feet.

Unable to ignore her own situation any longer, Raven turned back to her own battle. The giant purple villain had been able to get within a few feet of her and was now bearing down on her with all of his strength. He had his hands pressed against the surface of her protective barrier and was attempting to push it aside like wall.

"Look alive brat." Livewire shouted, turning away from a defeated Black Canary. Charging up her energy, she shot a gigantic blast of electricity at Raven's barrier, shattering the magical shield like glass.

The young sorceress stepped sideways as Onyx's giant fist came down on her, missing her body by inches. Raven thought quickly, using her acrobatics training to flip backwards as her opponent continued to pound away at the floor.

Meanwhile, Huntress was having problems of her own. Roulette had broken free from her binds and was now swinging her knives in a rather dangerous manner. Watching her movements carefully, Huntress seized her opponent by the wrists and threw her into the air.

Roulette's form glided gracefully to the air, but her body froze as if a pair of invisible hands had caught her in midair. The strange forced let her down gently, pushing her into a standing position as she landed on the ground.

The masked hero's eyes widened in shock as she realized the cause. The last of Ebon's group who had yet to attack had finally decided to enter the fight. She looked young like the other members of the group, but something about her made her seem oddly sinister, and from the recent display, Huntress guessed that this girl could move objects with her mind… This was going to be trouble.

A teenage superhero riding on a metal disk glided into the room, a stream of lightning extending from his fingertips as he closed in on the shocking villains. Pulling his hands back, Static absorbed all of Livewire's electrical power, effectively dulling the power of her attacks. While Raven and her teammates appeared to be quite surprised by this sudden arrival, Roulette and the Meta Human gang appeared even more startled.

"How the hell did you find us?" Ebon shouted, glaring at his nemesis.

Static cocked his head to the side and folded his arms in an amused manner. "Oh, that wasn't too hard. I had Gear track Puff's smoke trail from Dakota."

The female Bang Baby said nothing in response to the comment, and simply blasted her opponent with a wall of smog. The column of poisonous smoke erupted from her lips, expanding and closing in on her opponent like a snake preparing to strike.

"Yo stank breath, I got one word for you… MOUTHWASH" Static shouted. Focusing his powers on the walls, the shocking superhero channeled an electrical current through the building. Magnetizing the water line in the ceiling with his electricity, he tore the metal pipe clean through the paneling, causing it to burst open.

The water line rumbled uncontrollably, showering Puff with a stream of water as it dissolved the toxins in her noxious gas. Having seen his best friend defeated by Static, Onyx ran full pelt at his enemy, but the young superhero floated out of the way on his flying desk, refocusing his powers on the pipe that he had used on Puff.

After a few seconds, the steel pipe sprung forward at Onyx like a viper, wrapping itself around the purple-skinned thug and binding him like a prisoner. He struggled against the metal binds that bound his arms, but fell forward through the window that overlooked the Meta Brawl Arena. His body spun through the air as the people below fled for their lives like frightened ants. With a resounding crash, the large villain landed on top of a pile of chairs and lost consciousness as his head struck the hard floor.

Ebon scowled in anger, his gang having been defeated before his eyes. Madelyn broke away from her fight with Huntress, moving backwards and landing besides her self-proclaimed leader as the remaining heroes began to close in around them.

"So, what do we do now… boss." She replied, placing an unnecessary amount of emphasis on the last word.

The shadowy villain backhanded her, his eyes flashing dangerously. "I'm outta here. Later…" he replied with a small wave as he escaped through a swirling vortex. His body sunk into the floor until nothing remained, and in a matter of seconds, he was gone.

"You bastard!" Madelyn cried, kicking the spot where Ebon had just vanished. "You're abandoning us! I'll kill you!" She pouted like a child, but a light tap on her shoulder caught her attention. She prepared to shout at whoever had interrupted her hysterical ranting, but turned around just in time to see Huntress's fist coming. Stumbling backwards in an unsteady manner, the young villain's unconscious form spilt onto the ground, a small trickle of blood leaking out of her mouth.

"What an annoyance." Huntress commented, cracking her head to the side in an irritated manner.

Raven breathed a sigh of relief, brushing the dust from her cloak as she joined the other heroes. Her eyes scanned the room for a few moments, making her realize how rough that fight had been. Huntress was in the corner of the room, helping an inured Black Canary stand on her feet, while Static surveyed the unconscious villains.

"So, why are you here." Raven asked, cocking an eyebrow in suspicion as she observed the young superhero.

Static nodded in her direction, taking a small metal device out of his pocket. "I cam here in search of the Meta Breed. Like you guys already know, most of the Bang Babies in Dakota were returned to normal, but a few of them were able to slip through the nets."

"You included…" Huntress interjected.

"Yeah…" The young hero said, shrugging off her comment. "Anyway, a few of them were not cured, and a few others were able to get their powers back by exposing themselves to the big bang gas again. When the Meta Breed started acting up in Dakota again, I had my sidekick, Gear, track Puff's gas trail to Metropolis."

The young sorceress nodded in response as he finished speaking. "We're glad that you got here tonight… we were heavily outnumbered."

He flashed her a cheerful grin. "No problem. I'm just a really cool dude that can put a shock to your system."

"Corny…" Huntress commented, lifting Black Canary to a standing position as she spoke. "If that was your catch phrase, you really should get a new one."

The masked teenager let out a sigh of relief ran a hand through his hair, a few electric sparks crackling as he styled his messy black locks. Becoming serious one more, the young Meta Human walked across the room to observe Madelyn's unconscious body.

"We really outta get these guys back to prison." Static commented, taking a small metal device out of his pocket. "I'll contact Gear and tell him to alert the cops." As he lowered his hand to dial the number, Raven seized him by the wrist.

"I'm afraid you can't do that yet."

"Uh… why not?" Static replied, shooting the young sorceress a curious expression.

Raven shook her head in response to his question. "We need to interrogate these guys in case they have any useful information to yield."

The younger hero shrugged his shoulders in an awkward manner but decided that it was best to comply with her demand. After all, the Justice League would probably send them back to Dakota's prison after their interrogation, but something was bothering him at the moment… where had Ebon gone? Ignoring the unsettling thought, Static decided to shrug it off for the time being.

Placing his Shock Box Communicator back into his belt, Static began magnetizing the villains' bodies, which lay scattered around the vicinity. Using his electricity based power, the young hero began drawing them towards his location in an attempt to make them easier to contain if any one of them were to wake up.

Huntress followed his example, dragging Roulette's unconscious body over to where Static had placed the other villains. Heaving her arm backwards, the masked female tossed the body in an unceremoniously manner, causing her to land in the heap.

As she prepared to leave the room in search of the giant armadillo, she ran into a familiar face. Wildcat stood framed in the doorway, the giant Carmendillo slopped onto his back like a rag doll. Walking over to the huddle of unconscious bad guys, he piled the body onto the others. Raven opened her mouth to answer, but Black Canary's pained groans interrupted her.

Pushing herself into a standing position, the blonde hero lifted herself off of the chair where Huntress had left her. She staggered forwards, but quickly lost her footing, and fell due to the toll of her injuries. Raven waved her hand in a circular motion, hoisting her into a standing position with her levitation spell, and moving Black Canary's closer to herself so that she could support the older woman. Black Canary accepted Raven's offer, and stood leaning on the young spell caster's shoulder for support.

Wildcat looked positively ashamed of himself, refusing to make eye contact with his former student as she glared at him.

"Why did you do it?" she asked, her glare intensifying. "I thought that you promised that you wouldn't go back to the Meta Brawl."

The middle-aged hero opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped by Raven, who raised her hand in front of him in an attempt to stop them from discussing personal matters, which did not involve the mission at hand.

Static wore a puzzled expression, but said nothing concerning the issues that were beginning to surface.

"So, should we call the Martian?" Huntress asked, attempting to break the silence.

Raven shook her head in response, muttering a quick incantation as she stared down at the floor. In a matter of moments, a large vortex appeared underneath the group of unconscious villains, drawing them into the void as it opened wider.

"You want me… to get in there?" Static asked, casting an uneasy look at the swirling energies. He looked around, but no one seemed to be as surprised as her was. Being one of the youngest Justice League affiliates, Static did not know the members as well as he could have.

When no one raised any objections, Raven and Black Canary stepped into the portal and were gone. Wildcat and Huntress followed suit, the latter partially shoving a reluctant Static through the mass of energy.

The void around the travelers grew dark for a few moments, but as they looked up, they could see that they were back in the Watchtower's main hanger.

Raven shuffled over to Huntress, supporting an injured Black Canary on her shoulder. The older hero simply nodded as she took hold of her rival's arm. "You look like crap, blondie."

Black Canary planted her elbow into the masked female's back, causing her to buckle slightly under the pain. "I can still move my arms." She replied back, smirking slightly. "Don't get too cocky."

Huntress let out a small laugh. "Yeah… but I gotta admit, you did pretty good back there… you know… compared to your usual standards."

The young sorceress let out a long sigh as she proceeded to ignore the bickering rivals. Some things never changed. Pushing the button on her earpiece to alert the Martian of their arrival. "J'onn… this is Raven. We have captured a good number of villains, and we would appreciate it if you would send a backup crew down here immediately."

The speaker crackled for a few moments before the Martian's voice came through. "I read you loud and clear and have dispatched a squad to the main hanger."

"Over and out." Raven replied, switching off her communicator.

In a matter of minutes, the Watchtower personnel had bound and shackled the villains and had taken them off to the prison wing. A medical unit had also arrived to tend to Black Canary's broken leg. They carted her off in a stretcher, carrying her towards the hospital wing.

Raven pushed her hood back away from her face as she left the main room. She was not looking forward to giving the report for this particular mission.

NOTE TO READERS: Phew… What a long haul with this chapter, I'm not even sure where this story's going from here. IDEAS PLEASE! REVIEWS PLEASE! Hope you enjoyed reading it, because it was a pain to write. Tell me, am I starting to put them out of character, because I've been striving to keep them within the boundaries of their characters as presented in Teen Titans and Justice League Unlimited.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36: The Showdown **

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters of logos.

NOTICE: I wrote a teaser chapter for my sequel story (It's called _Test of Time_) and posted it in my stories section. Check it out on my page. Please review and tell me what you guys think of the sequel so far. While this one is rated K, the sequel is T for more violence and death. I think it'll be more visual in some areas as well, but not too much. I'm still trying to keep the spirit of Bruce Timm's DC Animated Universe alive.

**STORY **

Once again, Raven found herself standing before the founding members of the Justice League. While she was no longer nervous around her fellow heroes, even she was not particularly looking forward to this meeting. The seven heroes bore down on her in an expectant manner, waiting for her to give her mission report.

Clearing her throat, she began. "My recent mission has given us possible leads concerning the case of the Legion of Doom…"

"Please… continue." Superman replied, immediately picking up her slight hesitation.

The young sorceress returned his nod as she continued to review the details in her mind. "The mission was an overall success as we were able to capture Roulette in the midst of the battle."

"Score!" Flash replied, raising a hand into the air like an excited teenager. "The way I see it, all we gotta do now is find out where Deathstroke is hiding, and take the fight to him. Like granny Flash use to say…"

"Roulette and the other villains that we were able to capture are currently detained, and have recently been sent to the interrogation room." Raven interjected, quickly cutting through the Flash's chatter.

Batman stood up from his spot at the council table, causing the other founding members to shift their attention to him. "Very well… I'll take care of the situation immediately." He replied.

"You intend to interrogate the enemy immediately?" the Martian asked.

The Dark Knight simply nodded in response as he headed straight for the exit. Raven stepped aside in a hasty manner as the man swept by her and disappeared through the metallic doors.

Superman inclined his head in thought a Batman vacated the room. Looking up, the Man of Steel simply nodded. "I guess its decided then… We'll have to see what Batman can get out of Roulette, and then we can plan our actions accordingly."

Raven shook her head in an expectant manner. "My apologies for the interruption, but knowing Slade, he may have already adjusted Roulette's mind so that she cannot be questioned about the whereabouts of his Secret Society."

"She has a point…" Wonderwoman added, turning to Superman for suggestions.

John Stewart who had remained silent so far finally spoke up. "Either way, we have to find a way to stop them. If Deathstroke can enact his scheme, we'll be in for a much more difficult situation… a situation that we might not have the power to resolve."

"Agreed…" the Martian replied in a serious tone. "You are correct. We must look at the big picture to ensure that this situation does not worsen."

Shayera raised an eyebrow in annoyance. "How can it get worse? We've got organized super villains massing around the world, and we've been swamped with dozens of cases to solve… Not to mention the impending oblivion that Deathstroke and his cronies have been dangling over our heads."

Superman nodded again. "True, but I spoke with Doctor Fate recently and he told me that the portal spell needed for Deathstroke to access the ceremonial grounds will take several more days to fully prepare… even if Morgaine Le Fey is involved."

"And what will we do in the meantime?" Wonderwoman asked.

The Martian raised a hand in order to get the attention of the other heroes. "The fact remains that we must wait before we can determine our course of action…"

"Yeah, but sitting here like a bunch of politicians isn't solving the problem either." The Flash argued, shaking his head indignantly.

"It's the only choice that we have…" Superman answered. Turning back to Raven, the Man of Steel simply nodded again. "Do you have anything else to report?"

The young sorceress shook her head in response. "I must also tell you that we arrested some of the Meta Brawlers along with Roulette."

"Anyone we would know?" Shayera questioned.

"Perhaps… we had a nasty run-in with some Bang Babies working for the Meta Brawl. I believe that they referred to themselves as the Meta Breed."

The Man of Steel shook his head, looking slightly bewildered for once. "That's impossible. Most of Dakota's Meta Humans were cured of the affliction with the exception of Static and Gear… both of which serve as reserve members of the Justice League."

"She speaks the truth." The Martian replied. "I spoke with Static earlier tonight… The boy claims that many other people were not cured. Static also claims that many more were able to regain their superpowers by breaking into secure locations and exposing themselves to the unstable chemicals that originally started the Big Bang in Dakota."

"We were unsuccessful in capturing the leader, Ebon." Raven added in. "I must apologize for this mistake, but we were severely outnumbered at the time."

A concerned expression appeared briefly on Superman's face. "Is everyone from you team all right?"

The young sorceress gave him a small nod. "Yes… but Black Canary was severely injured, and Huntress…"

"Huntress!" Superman cried, looking thoroughly irritated. "She's not a member of the league anymore. Wasn't Question supposed to meet you in Metropolis last night?"

"I assume… but I was unaware." Raven replied, feeling slightly foolish for having said it.

Wonderwoman stood up from her seat, raising his hand to silence the angry Kryptonian. "He must have had something important to do. I mean, he's usually not the kind of man to ignore an important lead. He probably decided to send Huntress in his place, and considering the current circumstances, I doubt anyone would have rejected help from a reliable source."

The Martian shook his head. "Although the mission was successful, I see a clear violation of protocol that cannot be ignored."

Raven made a coughing noise to gain the attention of the older heroes. While she would have normally waited for them to finish speaking, the young sorceress was beginning to feel strange disturbances in the back of her mind. Something was wrong… and she had a feeling that it involved her friends.

"Perhaps I should take my leave?" she requested, inclining her head in respect as she spoke.

The founding members exchanged a collective nod before granting their approval. "You may leave." The Martian replied, gesturing towards the door."

"Thank you." Raven said, lifting her head and disappearing into the hallway. As soon as she heard the metallic clang of the door closing, she took to the air and began floating through the Watchtower's labyrinth of hallways. Although it was only a gut feeling, she was sure that there was something wrong, and the same feeling told her that her friends were right in the middle of it.

Concentrating her magic, the young sorceress began uttering a simple incantation under her breath. In a matter of seconds, she knew where to find her friends, and luckily for her they were both in the same place right now. With a second incantation, she was gone.

**MEANWHILE **

Nightwing tore through the darkness as he leapt from building to building, his heart racing as he floated through the skies of Gotham. From below his dark silhouette must have looked like a large bird against the night sky, but the streets were surprisingly empty at the time. A few cars flashed in and out of view as he glanced at the streets, but the city was relatively quiet for the moment.

The young vigilante quickened his pace as he caught sight of Gotham's largest mall in the distance. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't have given the shopper's paradise a second glance, but at the moment he felt as if he couldn't find a faster way to get there.

The windows of the large building were darkened, and steel bars had been drawn over the doors and windows, giving the impression that the place was a prison. While people from out of town might have scoffed at the outrageously tight security system, anyone who actually lived in the city knew that it was not a good idea to leave valuables unguarded.

Gotham City had always been a nest of scum and villainy, but times had become harder since Deathstroke reformed the Legion of Doom. With such an organized group of criminals working together, the crime rates had climbed around the world, leaving everyone from the local police to the Justice League, swamped with dozens of cases to solve.

Bringing his thoughts back to the current situation, the young hero noticed how close he was to the mall. Taking one last leap towards the building, Nightwing opened his glider, floating through the air for a few moments before touching down on the roof of the mall. Closing the wing-like attachment, he moved into the very center of the building's spacious roof.

Taking a look around, the young vigilante began observing every inch of the area. While seemingly pointless, he was doing this so that he could be prepared for the upcoming battle. If Slade kept his promise and actually appeared in person, he knew that he would have a better chance of winning if he knew the surroundings better than his opponent. The rooftop was surprisingly empty, aside from the large glass windows that let in the sunlight during the daytime, but a few sections of the building's roof were elevated to accommodate the higher ceilings for whatever room lay beneath.

A sudden whistling noise sounded off in the distance, startling the young hero. Drawing a pair of birdarangs, he looked around in time to catch the first glimpse of his nemesis. Slade Wilson grinned behind his mask, as he approached the former boy wonder. Looking through the pale glow of the moon, the masked villain could see the hero's death glare.

"Well played…" he stated, drawing a katana from its sheath. Adjusting his trademark mask, he began moving closer to the young hero. From the way that he moved, it outwardly appeared as if he hadn't a care in the world. In some cruel way… it was almost as if he was purposely mocking his long-time adversary. When he was within a few meters of his adversary, the two made eye contact for the first time that night. The light from the moon flashed dangerously on the surface of his visible eye as he returned his opponent's deadly gaze. An eerie silence lingered in the air for as the two fighters continued to stare at one another.

Deathstroke cracked his neck in a lazy manner, tightening his grip on the handle of his weapon as he prepared to attack.

"So… you showed up." Nightwing interjected. While his tone of voice was calm and controlled, the deadly glare that had enveloped his facial features was anything but civil. Dick Grayson was usually a very rational individual, but his long history with this masked murderer was something that he could never forgive.

Even if this man sent the rest of the world into ruin, Nightwing was determined to take this man with it. To make matters worse, he had Starfire captive, and even he didn't want to think about what would happen to her if she wasn't rescued.

Slade cocked his head to the side for a second. Although the mask hid his facial features, the villain's excitement was evident. Unbeknownst to the young vigilante, his old nemesis had been looking forward to this battle just as much as he had, but for entirely different reasons. Taking in a breath, the masked villain began to move at a rather slow pace, taking a few steps to his right.

Nightwing had seen this game before, and immediately copied his opponent's paces to keep a certain distance between them. For a few moments, the two fighters continued to circle each other like predators waiting to strike… The battle had begun, and he wasn't sure if he could win.

**MEANWHILE**

Raven shook her head to clear her mind as her feet touched down on the hard tile floor. Looking up, the young sorceress noticed that she was back in the Watchtower cafeteria.

Beast Boy and Cyborg sat at a table a few feet away and both of them were staring at her in an interested fashion. Looking around, she realized that a few other people had been startled by her sudden entrance, and had turned from their business to stare. Ignoring their bewildered expressions, the young sorceress approached her two friends.

"We have a problem…" she stated, placing her hands on the table and leaning forward slightly as she spoke.

Cyborg raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Slow down Rae… What kinda problem are you talking about?"

"Yeah dude, I just sat down." Beast Boy added in, gesturing towards his still full tray of cafeteria food. "On top of that I had to place a special order to get the vegetarian meal."

The young sorceress fought the urge to roll her eyes, instead choosing to ignore his comment rather than acknowledge it. "I've got a feeling that Dick and Starfire are in trouble." She said, moving closer so that they would not attract any unwanted attention.

The green changeling folded his arms in a childish manner. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"No… but my sixth sense tells me that there's something really bad happening right now. I don't know about Nightwing, but Starfire's been gone for while. Do you find it weird that she went on a really simple mission yesterday, and never came back."

"Good point… I guess." Cyborg replied. "But even if you're right, there's still some problems here. How do we find them anyway? We don't have a clue where the hell they could be."

Beast Boy nodded vigorously in agreement. "Cyborg's got a point. I dunno how accurate your senses are, but I think it's worth looking into. The question is… How do we find them?"

Raven gave them a confident smile as she contemplated on how little they knew. "You forgot that I trained under Doctor Fate? I took some special precautions in case something like this ever happened."

The green shapeshifter shifted uncomfortably at the sight of Raven's smile. "All right, who are you and what have you done with Raven? What's with that smile and that positive attitude? It's kinda freaky to see you acting so optimistic in the face of danger."

"Just listen already!" she ordered in a slightly agitated tone. "Quit babbling so we can get going."

"How?" the pair asked in unison.

The young sorceress shook her head again. "I placed a tracking spell on each of you guys the last time the five of us were together. I did it so that I could instantaneously teleport myself to your position in case you ever needed help."

"Isn't that an invasion of privacy?" Beast Boy questioned, looking slightly confused. The question earned him some stern expressions from Raven and Cyborg, both of which were too involved with the current situation to listen.

"Forget about it… We should at least go to our friends in case they're in trouble." Cyborg interjected, looking rather serious for a change. "I believe that Raven could be right about this, and if she is then we have to be ready for the worst possible outcome." Beast Boy simply nodded in response as he stepped forward to stand beside Raven.

Placing a hand on their shoulders, Raven steered them out of the crowded cafeteria and into the empty hallway. Muttering a few words, the young sorceress rendered the three of them invisible.

"Hey, what's going on?" Beast Boy replied.

Raven tapped him on the shoulder to catch his attention. "You're within a barrier that makes you invisible as long as you're inside of it.

"Why are we invisible?" Cyborg asked.

"In case we run into dangerous situation when we use my locator spell, we can hide and plan a strategy while remaining undetected by the enemy." She answered. "So… you guys ready to go?"

The half robot hero smiled down at his old friends. "Count me in! What about you BB."

"You know it dude…" the green hero replied.

Raven smiled inwardly as she chanted the spell, and in a flash of light they were gone.

**MEANWHILE**

Thinking fast, Nightwing knew that he was in desperate need a plan. His early arrival had given him a chance to observe the battlefield, but there was one more thing that he had to take into consideration. From their past battles, he knew that Deathstroke was skilled at close range combat, and although he was not completely certain, it was possible that he could use this knowledge to his own advantage. If he was careful, the use of his birdarangs and grappling hook just might help him gain the upper hand in this battle.

Growing tired of the lack of activity, Nightwing made the first move. Leaping backward to avoid any retaliation, the young hero tossed a pair of birdarangs with amazing accuracy. The projectiles whizzed through the air at an alarming rate, but Slade was too fast to fall prey to the assault.

Using his inhuman agility, the evil genius swung his katana in a single fluid motion, effectively and effortless parrying both weapons. Disregarding the attempted attack, Slade bounded forward in an attempt to catch his opponent off guard. Sprinting towards his opponent at an alarming rate, the skilled assassin thrust his weapon forward in an attempt to skewer the young vigilante on the spot. His katana came inches from killing his opponent, but was blocked by the latter's metal fighting stick.

Luckily for him, Nightwing had anticipated the attack, and had drawn his own weapon as a precaution. The sound of metal weapons scraping together issued from the scene, but Slade had seen this coming and was the first one to recover from the stalemate. Increasing the amount of strength behind the attack, the masked villain begun to overpower his opponent.

The young hero tried to shove his opponent backwards, but Slade was obviously stronger than he was, and on top of that he was also the on with the upper hand. The masked villain was bearing down on him with incredible strength, and Nightwing knew that is he released his weapon in an attempt to escape the lock, he would be unarmed and that give his opponent an easy opening.

Leaning in closer, the masked madman spoke. "I had expected more from the likes of you, what a disappointment." He said, shoving his opponent backwards. "Perhaps your concern for the girl is dulling your edge… or perhaps you are really as weak as I remember."

Nightwing staggered slightly, cursing under his breath, but he did not allow the attack to catch him off guard. Using this small amount of time, he leapt backward a few meters and decided to try another approach. Reaching into his utility belt, the young hero drew out a fistful of birdarangs, which he immediately threw at his nemesis. Using the attack as a distraction, he leapt backwards again, creating more distance between them.

"What's the matter? I get the feeling that you aren't taking this battle seriously…" Slade replied, having easily parried the birdarangs with the side of his blade. "As a matter of fact, I have to say that so far I am thoroughly disappointed with your performance on the battlefield."

Nightwing scowled in anger, but said nothing in retaliation as he braced himself for the next attack.

Reaching into his own utility belt, Deathstroke withdrew a pair of laser pistols. Gripping one in each hand, he increased the energy level so that they would kill their target. Nightwing took a defensive stance, but the masked villain appeared to be unfazed by the gesture.

A clicking noise echoed through the night as the madman pointed his weapons at his young adversary, grinning behind his mask as he did so. "If you continue to distance yourself from me like a frightened child, then you have left me no choice. If you refuse to die like a hero… THEN DIE LIKE A BEAST!" Abandoning his calm tone, the masked murder's voice had risen to a savage bark. Pulling the triggers of his weapons, Deathstroke began his new assault.

Nightwing reacted quickly, darting around the laser blasts and diving behind objects as his opponent closed in on him. Running and jumping into the air, he barely managed to escape the deadly blasts. He knew that Slade was a dangerous fighter, but his old adversary rarely ever resorted to the use of such deadly weapons back in Jump City. Thinking quickly, the young hero came to a horrific conclusion… looking back now, it all made sense. Throughout the many battles that he had fought with this man, Slade had never once taken him seriously.

Slade laughed in a cruel manner as he watched his nemesis struggle, barely able to dodge. The onslaught continued for a few more seconds, but the masked villain had other plans. In a single fluid motion, he spun the laser pistols around between his fingers and placed them back into their holders.

The young hero glared up at his enemy in a defiant manner, his eyes narrowing dangerously. While his gaze remained as deadly as ever, his body had begun to show signs of fatigue. The young hero was not entirely sure what to think of the situation, but he could not deny that his opponent's sudden seize fire had brought to him a feeling of relief. If the onslaught had continued for a few more minutes, he probably would have died.

"Ah, I see you're as fiery as ever. Aren't you, Robin…" the masked man replied in a mocking tone.

While Nightwing said nothing in response, his glare deepened as he heard his opponent refer to him by his old title. Having recovered from the recent onslaught, the young hero took another fighting stance.

Slade simply nodded. "I see you understand now… You realize that you cannot possibly hope to defeat me by fleeing like a child. Tell me, are prepared to take this battle seriously now. If you do not… You and your little friend will die tonight."

"How do I even know that she's still alive?" Nightwing asked, narrowing his eyes in distrust. "Even if she was, I doubt you would just hand her over if I defeated you."

"I doubt my word means anything to the likes of you, but I assure you that your little friend is quite safe. Whether or not she remains as such is entirely up to you." Deathstroke replied in an emotionless tone.

"Then I'll win!" the young hero shouted. Springing forward like a beast, Nightwing thrust the end of his fighting rod towards his opponent.

Drawing his two swords with unnatural speed, the crafty villain crossed the blades of his weapons, effectively blocking the strike. For a few moments the two fighters stood across from each other, their weapons trapped in a dead lock. Slade simply smiled at his opponent's surprised reaction, having expected an aggressive attack from Nightwing. Exerting his strength upward, the masked villain shoved his opponent backwards in an effortless manner, following up with a powerful kick. The blow struck quickly, sending the former boy wonder flying backwards.

Thinking fast, the young vigilante placed his arms in front of his chest in a defensive manner, using his stance to block the attack. While the kick had sent him backwards several feet, he was relatively unharmed by the sudden assault. Placing his weapon back into his utility belt, the former sidekick took another fighting stance.

"If you prefer…" Slade replied, giving his young opponent a quick nod. The masked villain brought his weapons up over his head, twirling his swords between his fingers like batons before sheathing them. "Now… shall we continue?"

"Lets…" he replied, glaring at his opponent for a few seconds. Pouncing forward like an angry beast, Nightwing unleashed his assault on his opponent, placing all of his focus into a quick volley of kicks and punches.

Slade took a step to the side to avoid the main strike, weaving to the left and right as he moved backwards away from his opponent. Watching Nightwing's movements, the masked villain begun to see openings in his opponents stance. An evil grin began to form beneath his mask as he quickly began formulating ways to thwart every one of his enemy's moves. Sure he knew that he could end it now if he wanted to… but where would the fun be in that?

Seizing his chance, the masked killer took the opening that his opponent had left and began to counterattack. Bending backwards with incredible flexibility, the masked villain thrust his leg upward, landing a powerful kick to Nightwing's jaw. The hero let out a cry of pain, stumbling backwards like a drunk. Flipping his body into an upright position, Deathstroke aimed a volley of punches.

Nightwing swayed around like a twig in the wind, barely able to dodge his opponent's deadly assault. Thinking quickly, he began flipping backwards away from his enemy, following up his move by drawing his fighting staff. " I was hoping that it would not have to come to this… but you leave me no choice." A large blade extended out of the end of his staff as he pressed the button on the side of his weapon.

"Impressive… Slade replied in a mocking tone. "but do you have the courage to use it on me?"

"I do… for all the lives you've ruined… for all of the people you've killed… this ends here." Dashing forward like a madman, the young hero withdrew a fistful of birdarangs from his utility belt, tossed them at his opponent.

"It won't do you any good…" Slade casually replied. Drawing out his sword, he effortlessly parried each consecutive birdarang. Having used his volley of projectiles as a distraction, the young hero lifted the staff and began spinning his weapon in a circular motion, bringing it down on his opponent's head like a lance.

The villain's eyes widened with visible shock as he realized his mistake. There was no denying that he had left himself wide open just there, but that didn't mean that he was going to lose this fight. Pulling himself backwards, the masked villain barely managed to avoid the oncoming attack. The blade sliced through the air, grazing the front of Slade's mask as it did so.

The attack did not come without a price, because in charging forward like that, Nightwing too had left himself wide open. Thrusting his fist forward, the masked murderer had taken advantage of the situation and had landed a powerful punch directly in his opponent's stomach.

Nightwing fell through the air, barely managing to land on his feet. Using his staff for support, the young hero couldn't help but clutch his side in pain.

"You have improved considerably since our last battle… I guess that counts as a scratch." Deathstroke replied in an unpleasant tone. "I must have miscalculated just now…"

The young hero turned to face his enemy, but his eyes widened in curiosity at what he saw next. The trademark mask that Dick Grayson had seen so many times now lay in two pieces on the ground next to his feet, and across from him stood the fully unmasked man who had caused so much misery. Slade Wilson's face was heavily scarred, and he wore a black eye patch over his right eye. An unpleasant grin lit the man's features as the wind shifted through his tangled white hair, and although there was nothing particularly hideous about his face, the villain's features radiated a sense of bloodlust and battle.

"At last you see my true face…" the villain replied, looking completely indifferent to the situation. "Pity that you were never once able to unmask me back in Jump City… but it never would have mattered either way. You know that I had never tried to hide my identity. I have and always will be… Slade Wilson."

"And you say that with such pride…" Nightwing hissed, glaring at his enemy. "You were never scared of anyone learning who you were, because you were a murderer and nothing more."

The villain shrugged in a mocking fashion at his opponent's comment. "Ah, how little you understand… I regret nothing."

"BASTARD!" Nightwing shouted, charging forward with his weapon poised to kill.

Slade simply let out a small sigh as he called upon the power of the Trigems, which rested within his utility belt. A wall of fire surrounded his body, effectively shielding him from any harm. "I was hoping for a decent fight, but I grow tired of your futile efforts. At your level, you would've died anyway, but as an act of my mercy I grant you a quick death."

Nightwing gasped in terror as the wall of fire engulfed his body. Closing his eyes, the young vigilante prepared to die, but the attack never came. Opening his eyes the young vigilante realized that the dark fires were no longer closing in around his body. Looking up, he saw Raven floating in the air above him.

"Need some help?" she asked, looking down at the battlefield. Nightwing nodded in response to her question, breathing a sigh of relief as the young sorceress joined the fight.

NOTE TO READERS: I don't know if anyone still cars, but I'm still here writing the story. The writer's block is finally gone, and I think I can pull this story to the end. Please review my story… ideas are welcome too. I know it's not really a romance fanfiction, but I was hoping that some people could diverge from that genre at least once and a while.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37: A Devious Trap**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters of logos.

"I see you have come…" Slade replied in a shrewd tone, glaring up at the young sorceress as she dispersed her veil of magic. He cast an amused look at the new arrival and let out an eerie chortle. "To think that your powers are still strong… It is amazing that you managed to survive after a piece of your soul was ripped from its shell."

"You'll find that I'm full of surprises…" Raven interjected boldly.

Dick Grayson blinked in surprise at the sudden arrival of his friend, but she merely stepped in front of his injured form so that her blue robe shielded him from view. Raven showed no fear as she faced their longtime foe. Raising her right arm slowly, she moved her hand in a circular motion and muttered a series of short incantations under her breath. Her fingers glowed with a golden light, and less then a second later she condensed the magical energies and released them in the form of a rainbow-colored blast.

Although the attack was heading towards him, the unmasked villain raised his hand and seemed to catch the swirling energies like a ball. His opponents watched on in shock, but before either of them could comment, the magical sphere in his hand became engulfed in flame. Slade returned the attack with a vindictive smile, forcing the heroes to flee as the burning projectile incinerated the spot where they had been standing moments before.

"You'll find that I've also learned some new tricks since our earlier encounter aboard the Watch Tower." The villain replied.

Deathstroke held out his arms in a sinister manner as walls of flame danced around his body, the mark of Scath burning into his forehead. Even without the mask, his battle-scarred face was livid with a cold fury that very few people had ever seen in a human being, and as the two Titans stared into his eyes they saw nothing but death. The raging fires took the shape of a large bird, which seemed to advance on the opposition like a malevolent predator.

Raven pushed her teammate out of the way as the blast gravitated towards them, but she hovered out of range in order to avoid the towering inferno. Although she tried to outdistance the fiery wave, the attack continued to pursue her no matter how much higher they rose into the skies above Gotham City. Without any other option, she closed her eyes and pointed towards the fires and conjured a gargantuan wave of water from thin air with a wave of her hand.

The two elemental forces collided with a might crash, but knowing that Slade was using a fraction of her father's power hampered her confidence that it would work. She floated higher as the water from her summoning spell transformed into a cloud of steam, but from this height she noticed that the dark fire seemed to have stopped moving as well.

Using the temporary pause to his advantage, Nightwing bounded forward and nailed his opponent in the face with a powerful kick, but the enemy's body burst into flame on contact. His eyes widened in shock as the imposter vanished into the shadows, and recoiled in pain. The vigilante stomped out the fire that had spread to his foot, but was quickly caught off guard by the real Slade. The skilled assassin attempted to behead his younger adversary with a swing of his katana, but Raven foresaw his strategy from her aerial view and used a simple spell to push her friend out of the way.

"Thanks for that…" Nightwing called up to his friend. Striking a defensive pose, he turned around and faced Deathstroke again. "Let's finish this!"

The unmasked villain ran a hand through his messy gray hair. "Indeed we shall, but the even with her help the result will be the same. You seem to forget that the well being of your little alien friend is in my hands… A simple command from me is all it will take, and her life is forfeit…"

The young vigilante sneered in anger and prepared to charge at their opponent, but Raven landed in front of him before he could even draw his weapon. Reaching forward, the young sorceress placed a gentle hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him. She knew that any attempt he made to stop such a powerful enemy while driven by rage would only lead to his own death.

"I understand how you feel, but running into battle when you're not thinking clearly is something that you may not live to regret." She scolded.

"Move…" Nightwing replied venomously.

Raven shook her head. "I cast a tracking spell on everyone the last time we gathered together so we could find each other in an emergency. My magic indicates that Starfire is being held in this building, and I sent Beast Boy and Cyborg ahead to save her. The best thing you can do for her now is to focus on this fight, and trust in your friends…"

Hearing these words from someone like Raven seemed to calm his wrath for the moment, and after a moment's pause he turned back towards their mutual foe. He glanced back at his friend and seemed to thank her silently, to which she merely nodded, and together they prepared to resume the battle. Her hands ignited with magical energy and Nightwing hoisted his staff into the air in an aggressive manner.

Deathstroke watched them in amusement, but his gaze settled on the young sorceress for a moment. "You seem to have played this game very carefully, my dear. Judging from past experiences I anticipated that you fools would meddle in my plans. Unfortunately for you, I have already prepared for such variables…"

"How do I know you're not bluffing?" Nightwing narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"It doesn't matter if you believe me or not." The villain replied with a casual shrug. "Either way, you're friends are about to run into a trap…"

Meanwhile

Beast Boy and Cyborg slunk through the shadows as they carefully infiltrated the interior of Gotham City's largest mall. Although the building had been closed for some time now, but somehow or another the green changeling knew that there was something strange about the building. While a fierce battle was waging atop the roof of the oversized shopping paradise, the former Titans had carefully followed Raven's instructions leading them to search the inside of the facility instead while she dealt with the opposing side.

The robotic hero walked ahead of his friend, glancing back and forth as they carefully observed their surroundings for any signs of an ambush. Both heroes knew that Slade was an intelligent man who's cunning and manipulative personality allowed him to create and deploy the most devious of traps with relative ease. While the place seemed relatively normal at first glance, neither of them could shake the feeling that something was amiss.

Raven's locator spells had tracked Starfire and Nightwing to this location, but so far there was no indication that the alien princess was anywhere inside or outside of the building. Furthermore they had yet to encounter another living soul, as if all of the security guards on duty that night had simultaneously neglected their duties. Aside from the battle that was taking place on the roof, the setting just seemed too quiet.

Beast Boy looked discomforting by the silence, and shivered slightly as he observed the darkened surroundings. "Yo dude…" he whispered, attempting to hamper his excited tone. "Do you find it strange that the alarm hasn't gone off yet? I also noticed that all the lights are off… Don't people usually leave the light on at night?"

"All the more proof that Starfire might be being held here…" the half robot answered in a resolute voice. Looking back at his best friend, Cyborg immediately noticed the skeptical expression on Beast Boy's face. He simply shrugged his shoulders before speaking again. "I know what you're thinking, but Slade's here then he might have brought Starfire with him."

"That doesn't sound like something he would do?" the younger hero replied, scratching is his head in emphasis.

His friend merely nodded. "Any other time I would probably agree with you, but I think he might have had his reasons…"

Beast Boy snorted in contempt. "Yeah, but what kind of criminal actually brings the hostage along?"

"Beats the heck outta me…" Cyborg replied, pressing a button on his arm. The metallic device beeped for a second, as his circuits accessed the Justice League's global positioning satellite.

"What are you doing?" the green hero asked, leaning forward to observe the small monitor on his friend's arm.

"Personal space dude…" The robotic superhero replied, shoving his friend backwards in an irritated manner. "I was just testing out my new invention."

"What is it?" the younger hero asked, taking another glance at the small screen on Cyborg's arm.

"DNA scanner." He answered, eying his curious friend. "It's a special scanner that I created using small sample of our genetic material."

The green changeling simply sighed in response. "Gee, and I thought Raven casting locator spells on us was an invasion of personal space."

"Don't go getting all freaky now… I just used a hair sample." Cyborg added impatiently. "The point is that Raven and I thought of the idea together, and we decided to make it so that we can find each other in an emergency. Great minds do think alike you know."

"Dude, we've been inside of Raven's mind before… I don't see how you can compare yourself with her. Unless you're some sort of monster and you didn't tell us." Beast boy added, quickly working to conceal a smirk that had formed on his face.

Cyborg simply hushed his friend with a quick shushing noise as his equipment began to flash. "Save the bad jokes for later… I just picked up Starfire's DNA signature coming from the basement."

"Then what're we waiting for… Let's get going already!" the shape shifter replied, transforming into a dog as he finished speaking.

The metallic superhero caught onto his friend's idea, watching in silence as the dog now standing a few yards away began sniffing the ground. After a few moments, the green canine's head sprang up like he had found the scent. Glancing back towards his friend, the shapeshifter jerked his head forward in a beckoning motion. Cyborg nodded in understanding, following after Beast Boy as the green shape shifter began running towards the source of the smell. The pair darted through the darkened mall, climbing up and down flights of unmoving escalators as they headed towards the basement of the facility.

Beast Boy remained silent as they found the door leading to the boiler room, shifting his dog body uncomfortably as he picked up a new scent. He let out a dull whimper as his friend headed towards the next room, quickly moving forward to intercept him. Transforming back into his human form, he shot his friend a warning look, holding his arm out to stop him from proceeding any further. The half metal hero moved as silently as he could so he understand what his friend was trying to tell him, but found the task unnecessary as his ears picked up the sound hushed voices coming from the next room.

The robotic hero leaned forward to see through the crack in the door, his eyes scanning what little bit of the room that he could see. After a moment, he caught sight of the room's occupant, but it was too late to do any good. A fist plunged through the door catching Cyborg off guard as it shattered the wood and connected with his face.

The blow sent him staggering backwards as wooden splinters scattered, but the metallic hero was smart enough to move away from the doorway before the enemy had a chance to strike him again. Cyborg leapt backwards and readied his energy cannon before turning to face his opponent, but the villain was the first to respond.

"Well, what have we here?" a familiar voice shouted from beyond the threshold. With one swift kick, the enemy sent remains of the door flying off its hinges.

The green-skinned hero took a defensive stance as the super villain stepped into the hall, his face engulfed in green flame. "Atomic Skull…" he sneered, taking a fighting a defensive stance as the skull-faced bad guy approached him.

"You looking for the orange chick?" the villain asked, crunching his fists together menacingly.

Cyborg imitated his opponent's gesture, his face contorting into a grimace. "Tell us where Starfire… We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"You guys ain't in any position to be threatening me, considering that we got your little friend's life on the line." The enemy jeered with a snarl. "Deathstroke doesn't have any interest in the alien, he just wants to finish off your buddy on the roof. Maybe you can have what's left of you friends once the boss makes mincemeat out of Nightwing."

The green-skinned hero stepped forward aggressively, looking unusually feral. "Wrong answer…" he hissed.

Beast Boy took a step backwards to distance himself from his ally before transforming into a Triceratops seconds later. Letting out an angry snort, the three-horned dinosaur charged headfirst into Atomic Skull, sending the glowing villain hurtling through a wall with a gigantic crash that seemed to shake the very foundations of the shopping center.

The super villain landed headfirst into a fashion display in the clothing store beyond, but he made a quick recovery and retaliated by sending a blast of green fire at his two adversaries. Although the attack missed, Cyborg took advantage of the opening and fired his energy cannon.

"You missed me…" Atomic Skull shouted as the blast sailed over his left shoulder.

The half-robot merely smiled and calmly asserted. "I wasn't aiming for you, smart guy!"

The enemy wore a dumbstruck look, but the meaning of his adversary's words became apparent as he turned to find the course of a certain rumbling noise. He screamed in terror as the shelf behind him came crashing down, and let out a small cry of pain as the metal rack landed on top of him with a loud thud.

Seeing their opponent defeated, Beast Boy smashed through the wall with his great horns before transforming back to human form, his old teammate climbing through the hole in the wall after him seconds later. Once they were within sprinting range, the duo approached their battered enemy with caution.

"We hammered him pretty hard just now… The bad guy won't be able to answer our questions if he's not even conscious." the green changeling glanced at the large arm sticking out from beneath the wreckage.

Cyborg reached down and lifted the shelf off of his enemy and seized hold of his neck, looking thoroughly enraged. He positioned the man's skull-like visage so that they were face-to-face and sneered. "I'll ask you one more time… Where's Starfire?"

"You'd better start talking!" the green changeling added fiercely.

Despite their aggressive demeanor, the glowing baddie seemed relatively unfazed. Before either of the heroes could question him further, a thin shape emerged from the shadows. Atomic Skull seemed to sense the newcomer's presence and sprung back to life, freeing himself from his captor's robotic grip with a well-placed blast of green fire. The mechanical hero was singed by the oncoming blast and seemed relatively unharmed, but in the chaos he had lost sight of the enemy.

Beast Boy transformed into a dog in an attempt to track the villain's scent. He darted forward in an attempt to intercept the enemy, but was quickly caught off guard by kick to the head. Squealing in pain, the green dog writhed in pain for a moment before resuming human form, but while in dog form he had caught a second smell in the air and immediately returned to tell his friend the news.

"Oh man, who else is here?" he shouted frantically.

The robotic hero shrugged in confusion. "What are you talking about? The only other person I saw was Atomic Skull, and it looks like he's hiding now."

Beast Boy took another step so that they were standing back to back. "Just don't let your guard down yet. I had some trouble adjusting my caught another scent and then some jerk nailed me in head."

"Let me shed a little light onto the subject." Cyborg turned on his searchlights and quickly caught sight of their new attacker.

The former Titans gasped in shock as a skinny man with vibrant red hair and square glasses stepped out of the shadows. He wore a suit and carried a walking stick topped with a large red crystal. To their surprise, his confident smile and arrogant demeanor hadn't changed at all in the last five years. The two heroes glanced at each other for a second as the familiar foe approached them, his hands clapping in a mocking gesture.

Mad Mod twirled his walking stick like a baton before bringing the end to rest on the ground and smirked devilishly. "Ello me little snots…. Looks like you lot did some growing up while uncle Moddie was trapped in the clink."

The green changeling transformed into a cheetah and pounced ferociously, but the villain sidestepped him and smashed him over the head with the end of his cane. Planting the tip of his stick into the green jungle cat, he released a large blast of electricity into he victim's body. Beast Boy returned to human form and thrashed around violently even after his attacker removed the device from his body.

"A tiny stun gun less than an inch in size but still capable of releasing deadly amounts of electricity is what's built into the end of my walking stick." the psychedelic villain boasted.

"Frankly I don't give a hoot…" Cyborg released another shot from his energy cannon, forcing the villain to stop his assault. "Anyone dumb enough to go after my friends has to deal with me!"

Charging forward, he flailed his arms back and forth in an attempt to attack the false Englishman, but his hands sliced through thin air as the irritating villain weaved around his powerful strikes with relative ease. The robotic hero swept his leg underneath in an attempt to trip his fleeing adversary, but the enemy merely somersaulted into the air with an effortless flair to avoid the attack.

Mad Mod touched down gracefully moments later with an arrogant smirk. "Looks like you bratty little do-gooders are just as stupid as before. It's almost as if you haven't figured out that you fell into another one of me little traps."

The half-robot shifted his feet nervously as he remembered all of the crazy things that this man had done in the past. An injured Beast Boy morphed into a bird and landed a safe distance away before returning to his normal form. The former Titans glared heatedly at their old enemy, but the British impersonator merely grinned eagerly in response to their hostile expressions. With a cheerful grin, the psychedelic bad guy pushed the button on the top of his walking stick several times, causing several things to happen at once.

In less than an instant the light in the store flashed on, blinding his victims for a brief moment. Using his robotic eye to enhance his vision it only took Cyborg a matter of seconds to recover, but his teammate shielded his eyes at the sudden change of lighting. The green shape shifter lost his footing and landed in the arms of an unseen assailant, but before he could escape the arms closed around his torso and did not let go.

Atomic Skull let out an angry growl as he tightened his grip on the green shape shifter's neck. "Don't try anything stupid unless you wanna get blown to smithereens."

Beast Boy tried to escape, but found his captor to be exceedingly strong. "Hey buddy, I could use a little help here." He shouted for help.

Cyborg turned to aid him, but before he could even take one step, several display mannequins came to life and crowded around him. "Sorry BB, but it looks like I've got some troubles of my own." He apologized.

Switching his focus the half-robot began to smite the oncoming automatons with his energy blaster, but found himself fighting a losing battle as their numbers increased. The cyber robotic mannequins began pouring in from display stands, windows, and dressing rooms, jumping out from behind racks as if they were being called from all corners of the store. Advancing on the heroes like jackals to their prey, several more emerged piled onto the backs of their targets, their synthetic arms tugging and clawing from all sides. The robotic hero exchanged a knowing glance and Beast Boy sensed that his friend had a plan and decided not to act right away.

Once both for them were pinned to the floor, Mad Mod let out a laugh of triumph. "Well my duckies, it looks like you lot just got into some sticky wickets. Care to share some thoughts on me newest toys?"

Cyborg groaned from beneath his mechanical captors. "Making an entire army of robots, disguising them as store mannequins, and then stationing them here to catch us… You really must have a lot of time on your hands."

"Yeah dude, you seriously need an new hobby." The green-skinned hero added in through a chokehold.

"British engineering… Best in the world, wouldn't you lads agree?" Mad Mod cracked his knuckles lazily before turned to face his captives. "Of course I can't take all the credit, since dear old Deathstroke was kind enough to provide me with the technology necessary to set this whole thing up."

The robotic hero did not struggle as the power meter on his arm rose, indicating that he was trying to reach full strength before trying to counterattack against such a large number of foes, but he had one more motive in mind. If he could keep the bad guys thinking that they had won, maybe he could find out more about what else was going on.

As if on cue, Mad Mod approached Cyborg bent over so that they were face-to-face, but the half-metal hero merely growled. "Now why so glum, my duckies? The fun's just beginning…"

The false Englishman struck a thinking pose for a moment before snapping his fingers as if he had just remembered something vastly important. "We wouldn't want the lass to miss out on this." Mad Mod pressed the button on his staff again, causing a platform to rise out of the floor through a trap door. A metal chair was bolted to the surface of the object, and bound and gagged atop the seat was Starfire.

"The lass was a strong one, but I doubt that even her alien strength can break through this heat-treated alloy." The psychedelic bad guy tapped the binds on her wrists with the tip of his walking stick in emphasis and smiled as his captive struggled against her binds.

Although she was unable to speak due to the gag in her mouth, the alien princess glared at him and shouted a muffled jumble of curse words in her native tongue. Her reaction elicited an amused smile from her captor. "What's wrong, my pet?" he leaned forward and placed a hand of his ear in a mocking gesture. "It's improper for a lady to talk with her bloody mouth full… Perhaps you should speak up."

With great difficulty, the Tamaranean opened her throat and swallowed the spherical gag in her mouth. She cringed slightly as the ball hit the pit of one of her stomachs like a rock, but did her best to ignore the pain. "You are a terrible person to hold us here while our friends are in trouble! You will pay…"

Starfire struggled against her binds for brief moment and attempted to discharge her star bolts, but the shackles seemed to prevent her from releasing them, forcing her to abandon her attempt. Seconds later her eyes glowed bright green and she fixated her gaze on the villain, firing off a pair of energy beams from her pupils seconds later. The false Englishman bent backwards to avoid the attack and let out a cry of outrage as her energy blasts burned holes through the wall behind him.

"You will do no more harm to my friends!" Starfire shouted as she fired off another series of blasts from her eyes.

"Oy, you rotten little snot! You'll regret that… Then again, it might prove more effective if I discipline your best mates instead. With nasty sneer, the psychedelic villain pressed the button on his staff again. "Why not start with the metal head?"

Driven by his will, his cyber robotic minions began to crush Cyborg under their full weight. Mad Mod flipped into the air and landed beside him in order to finish the job personally. Turning a dial on the side of his weapon, the villain relished the opportunity to put an end to his old enemies once and for all. Slade claimed Nightwing as his own opponent, but specifically gave him the orders to kill the others if necessary.

Without warning he positioned the end of his staff inches from Cyborg's face. "I adjusted my stun gun to emit deadly electrical shocks, and I doubt even this oversized tin soldier is tough enough to survive."

Cyborg turned his attention towards the others and decided that now was the best time to act. "Beast Boy…LET'S ROCK!"

The villain lowered his staff to deliver the finishing blast, but the metallic hero had no intention of allowing it. Having taken the last minute or to fully charge his systems, Cyborg sprang back to life while releasing his full power, sending the robotic henchmen flying everywhere. Seizing one of the living dolls by the waist, he tossed the mannequin at Mad Mod, forcing the villain to dodge yet again.

"Hiyah!" Beast Boy let out a fierce battle cry before transforming into a Tyrannosaurus rex.

His enemy was caught off guard by the sudden change and attempted to flee, but was caught unaware by the dinosaur's thrashing tail. With a cry of pain, he succumbed to the strike and went sailing into a nearby display rack. Once his enemy was flattened, the green-skinned hero changed into a bird and fled the scene as his opponent began to pursue him.

"What's all this then?" the British villain screamed.

Cyborg plowed his way through several more living mannequins using raw strength. "It's called playing possum! Maybe you should have shut up and finished us off when you had the chance instead of wasting so much time talking about it."

Mad Mod glared at his opponent, but was suddenly bombarded by several energy blasts before he could contemplate his next move. Raising his staff, he pressed the button again, which quickly summoned three of his robotic sentinels to block the assault. The explosions created a bank of smoke, and amidst the chaos Cyborg took advantage of the ensuing conditions. He charged through the smog and shoulder-rammed the smaller man with the force of a raging bulldozer.

The psychedelic villain crumpled under the force of the strike as his opponent shoved him into a nearby wall, crushing him under his superior weight as he became sandwiched between Cyborg and the offending wall. The former Titan stepped away from the wall with a satisfied smirk, allowing his enemy to fall limply to the ground. Despite his injuries, the ragged villain leapt to his feet with surprising vigor.

"I'll get you little pests for this!" Mad Mod instinctively tried to press the button on the top of his walking stick, but his eyes widened in dear as he realized that the object was no longer in his hand.

Cyborg wore a confident expression on his face as he held out the villain's staff. Grasping the source of their troubles in two hands, he snapped the device in half and crushed the remains underneath his foot. "Game over…"

No sooner had he said this, that several of the remaining mannequins toppled lifelessly onto the ground. Without the remote control provided by the system inside his walking stick, all of Mad Mod's computerized inventions began to short-circuit and deactivate. The villain glanced around wildly as his creations failed, his look of worry growing by the minute.

The heavy shackles binding Starfire's limbs gave off a series of bright sparks before cracking open and dropping to the floor with a loud thud, allowing her to get free of her wretched confinement. After rubbing her wrists gently, the alien princess darted forward with amazing agility and punched her former jailer in the face, knocking the false Englishman out with one hit. He fell down with a cry of pain and fainted straightaway, but she did not even spare him a second glance.

"I thank you for coming to save me, yet I am ashamed to have allowed myself to be captured." The alien girl bowed her head in shame. "It pains me to know that they used me as bait in order to lure Nightwing into a trap."

Cyborg placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Star…"

Starfire glanced over at her half-robot friend, and they both seemed to sigh in relief. "The terrible noises coming from the roof indicate that our friends are currently engaging Slade in battle. He is much stronger than before… Nightwing and Raven are surely in trouble and may require our assistance."

"That was pretty much what I was about to say, but first we need to find Beast Boy." He replied in a businesslike tone.

She nodded quickly. "I saw him fighting the strange glowing man during your battle."

Before either of them could say anything else, a green-furred gorilla entered the scene carrying Atomic Skull's unconscious form under his arm. After a brief pause, the animal tossed his load aside like a bag of garbage and returned to human form. Once he was within a few yards of the others, he brushed his hands together and cracked his knuckles.

Beast Boy cast an unusually thoughtful glance towards his companions. "I'm just as psyched to deal with Slade as the rest of you guys, but is it really a good idea for us to leave the other bad guys just lying here."

The trio cast disgusted glances at the unconscious villains lying on the floor, and seemed to consider the options for the moment. Taking them back to the Watch Tower would take some time they didn't have, and even if only one member of their team took care of the job, their ranks would be thinned in the upcoming clash. With his newfound power, the masked crime lord had become so strong that even several of the Justice League's founding members had struggled against him during recent encounters.

After a short silence, Cyborg was the first to recover. "I think that we oughta focus on the bigger problem right now. The most important thing to do is rescue our friends and stop Slade while we have the chance, and to do that it'll probably take all of us."

Starfire nodded in agreement. "Yes, that does seem most logical considering that Raven was terribly weakened in her last battle with the Morgaine Le Fey, and the two of you have been exhausted by this recent ordeal."

The green changeling seemed to consider her for a moment before answering. "I agree with Cyborg this time. Don't worry about us… We'll handle this mess like we always do!"

Note to Readers: All right… I took almost a year to get back to this story, but I took that time to work on another one. I figured since this one is ready for me to wrap up, I might as well put it to rest so that I can say that I finished it at any rate. I think I have the general ideas in mind to do it, so here's hoping that I can finally put this old story to rest.

I doubt anyone who originally read this cares after so long, but maybe some other viewers might enjoy it. Sorry for any errors I made, but it was late when I wrote this chapter.


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